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Thursday, May 08, 2008

Moriarty's Coach Says Season ‘Not Over Yet'

By Harold Smith
Journal Staff Writer
      Moriarty High baseball coach Michael Chavez has been patiently waiting for his team's usual late-season surge to materialize.
       It's still not too late, but the coach's voice on Tuesday sounded like he might be getting a little antsy.
       The Pintos concluded the regular season with a District 5-4A doubleheader split at St. Pius on Saturday. The Sartans won the first game 14-2, and Moriarty rallied to take the second game 6-5.
       The Green Machine's status — going into the state Class 4A tournament's first round, scheduled for May 16-17 — was still up in the air Tuesday with Albuquerque Academy and Pius scheduled to finish a previously postponed game late Wednesday. The Pintos (17-8, 10-5) are the district runners-up, if the Sartans won, or are third, if the Chargers won, Chavez noted.
       “I'm disappointed in that we didn't take care of business during district,” Chavez said. “But the year is not over yet. But I'm still waiting (for their typical rally). Our district is tough. You can't take anything away from anybody in our district.”
       Though Moriarty will not have an automatic state berth if they are third in district, Chavez is confident his team will advance to the state tourney's 16-team field, beginning with a best-two-out-of-three first-round series.
       “We should be seeded in the top seven,” the coach said. “And we should host the first round unless we match up against a 10th-seeded district champion or something like that.”
       The New Mexico Activities Association selection and seeding committee will meet Sunday.
       Manzano
       The Purple Pride wrapped up the regular season with an overall record of 12-14, 5-7 in District 5-5A. Manzano finished in fourth place in the five-team district.
       But with 16 of Class 5A's 22 teams able to qualify for state first-round games, there is still hope for the Monarchs.
       “We should be (seeded) around 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th, something like that,” Manzano coach Jim Briggs said.
       That means Briggs' squad is on the edge. It's up to the NMAA selection committee now.
       “We had a good win (3-0 Tuesday in a nondistrict game at home) against Cibola,” the coach said. “That's a good team. That should be helpful (when the selection decisions are made). But I don't think our district gets a lot of credit. We beat a district runner-up in Cibola, and our pitcher (Peter Schneider) got a shutout.”
       Russell Hartshorn, a Monarchs senior from the Juan Tomas area, was 1-for-3 batting against the Cougars (16-8) with a double and an RBI.
       Manzano defeated Albuquerque High 24-9 in a nondistrict game on the Monarchs' field on May 1. Visiting Eldorado blanked Manzano 8-0 in a district contest on Saturday.
       East Mountain
       The Timberwolves concluded the 2007 season with an overall record of 14-10, 0-6 in District 5-2A. East Mountain wound up in third place in the three-team District 5-2A.
       That leaves the much-improved T'Wolves out in the cold. There were no at-large berths in Class 2A.
       “If we were in districts 1, 2, 3 or 4, we'd probably be in state,” Timberwolves coach David Naylor said. “But we're in a tough district. Maybe when they recombine (classes 1A and 2A) next year, that will open it up.”
       Gallup Catholic defeated EMHS 6-4 and 7-1 in a nondistrict doubleheader at the Panthers' home field at Ford Canyon Park on April 30. The Hope Christian junior varsity beat the T'Wolves 17-7 at Heights Community Center in Albuquerque on May 1.
   

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Baseball roundup n Manzano awaits state Class 5A selection committee decision, meeting Sunday
       n Moriarty in state 4A first round — May 16-17 (opponent, location, times TBD)