Santa Fe Prep and McCurdy open District 2/3-3A on Tuesday with wins

Santa Fe Prep and McCurdy open District 2/3-3A on Tuesday with wins, the visiting Griffins over Tierra Encantada, 21-1, in five innings, the Bobcats over visiting Pecos, 12-11 in 10 innings Now they meet Thursday at Tim McReynolds Field in Espanola, game time 3 p.m.

By Arnie Leshin 

Good to see Frank Lucero coaching baseball again, especially since there were times when he couldn’t field a team in the same role at Monte del Sol.

He was also athletic director there. Now he’s in his second year as just the co-head coach with Mark Bixby in this role of at Santa Fe Prep. Bixby was head coach in 2015 and 2016.

And Tuesday, his Griffins began District 2/3-3A play by pounding Santa Fe’s Tierra Encantada, 21-1, in a game shortened to five innings via the mercy rule at Tesuque Field. Overall, Prep is 3-4 and Tierra Encantada fell to 2-7 with its third loss in a row.

It was a 10-run third inning that led to Prep’s big game at bat.

Said Lucero: “We really saw the ball well today. We’ve been working with our kids on recognizing pitches and a lot of our kids used this to have a big day at the plate.”

Winning pitcher Sam Gilbert, a junior and co-captain with senior Victor Rios, allowed only one hit in four innings while striking out seven, and with his bat, went 3-for-3. Rios had only one hit, but it was a bases-loaded triple in the third that highlighted the big inning.

Now the Griffins continue district play Thursday at Espanola McCurdy, game time 3 p.m. The Bobcats also won Tuesday in their district opener, but it wasn’t easy in their 12-11, 10-inning victory over visiting Pecos at Tim McReynolds Field.

A throwing error with two out in the 10th enabled McCurdy to squeak out the win. It was scheduled to be a doubleheader, but the opener ended up functioning instead as two games in one, and the Bobcats improved to 3-2-1 overall in their third straight triumph while Pecos dropped to 3-7 overall with its third-straight setback.

The Bobcats had runners on first and second in the 10th when sophomore Kemmer Croft hit what appeared to be a routine grounder to third base, but the throw to first was wild, went past the base, and allowed senior Josh Esquibel to score from second with the winning run.

McCurdy employed its top two pitchers, senior A.J. Vallo and Croft. Vallo came away with 11 strikeouts through 4-2/3 frames before Croft came on to hurl the rest of the way.

“When we brought in Croff,” said head Bobcat coach Roberto DeVargas, “I thought if he could get the last 2-1/3 innings in, we could use him again against Santa Fe Prep on Thursday.”

No such luck, now DeVargas needs to reach out for another starter. In anticipation of the doubleheader, he had platooned some players, but the extra innings spoiled all that.