вторник, 18 сентября 2012 г.

TIGERS SWEEP WEST LAS VEGAS TO END REGULAR SEASON IN BASEBALL; ; THS TO PLAY COBRE AT STATE.(Sports) - Taos News (Taos, NM)

Byline: Cody Olivas

Estevan Martinez and Isaiah Concha each pitched complete games, helping the Taos High baseball team beat West Las Vegas 9-7 and 9-1, Saturday (April 28) in Taos' regular season finale.

'Ending the regular season on that, it was a good,' THS head coach Mark Montoya said. 'We're playing good, high-caliber baseball.'

In the first game, the Tigers took an 8-4 lead into the sixth inning. Alejandro Tavarez hit an RBI single to score Noah Romero and put the Tigers up 9-4.

In the seventh, the Dons rallied. West Las Vegas hit an RBI single and then a 2-RBI triple to get within two runs of Taos, 9-7. After a base on balls, the Dons got the tying run is scoring position. Concha, however, got the next batter to pop out in foul territory and then got the final batter to ground out to his shortstop.

In the second game, THS jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Concha hit a single to start the game and after stealing second to get in scoring position, Romero knocked him home. Romero stole second and advanced to third on a Kiko Martinez ground ball. Then, as soon as West Las Vegas' pitcher started his windup, Romero sprinted home and slid under the catcher's tag, stealing home and putting THS up, 2-0.

The Tigers scored twice more in the second and third innings. Rich Padilla started the second with a double and Larry Martinez knocked him in with a single. After a passed ball helped Larry Martinez get to third, Estevan Martinez laid down a perfect bunt on a squeeze play to help Larry Martinez score.

In the third, Kiko Martinez hit a single, then Lucas Robles blasted a ball deep to center that the center fielder kicked into left field, allowing both Tigers to score on the play, putting THS up, 6-1.

Romero started the fifth inning by smacking a triple, but he was gunned down at home going for an inside-the-park home run.

Tavarez then hit a triple of his own, slapping a pitch down the right field line. Kiko Martinez laid down a bunt to score Tavarez and later scored on a Padilla double.

Romero knocked in Taos' ninth run with a double in the sixth.

With the two wins, which Taos won without starters Leroy Pacheco and Keith Imberger, THS finished third in district 2 AAA with a 5-4 district record. Raton finished first (6-3) and Robertson (5-4) took second.

All four district teams earned a spot in the state championships. THS earned the No. 13 seed and will play at No. 4 Cobre in a best-of-three game series in the first round this Friday and Saturday (May 4-5). THS finished its regular season 10-12-1 while Cobre went 23-3.

'I don't think their record is indicative of how good they are and our record isn't indicative of how good we are,' coach Montoya said. 'It doesn't get any easier from this point on. It's going to come down to who's playing the best ball that (weekend).'

Raton is the No. 5 seed at state and will host Shiprock in the first round of state. Robertson got the No. 6 seed and will host Pojoaque while West Las Vegas was seeded No. 15 and will play at Hope Christian.

Seven Tigers were also selected to the all-district team. Romero and Pacheco were selected to the district's first team. Tavarez, Padilla, Concha, Imberger and Kiko Martinez made the second team.