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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Walk-Off Homer, Mercy Rule Give T'Wolves the Doubleheader

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    He's everywhere. He's everywhere.
    Rian Padilla was involved in just about every aspect of East Mountain High's baseball doubleheader sweep of Class 1A Española McCurdy at the Timberwolves' home field at Vista Grande Community Center on April 3.
    Padilla, who manned center field on defense, hit a walkoff two-run home run on a soaring fly ball over the right-field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning to give 2A East Mountain an 11-9 victory over the Bobcats in the first game.
    "It was a fastball right down the middle," said Padilla, a 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior. "It was the best pitch I ever saw. I knew it was gone."
    Then in the second contest, as a nippy wind gradually increased its intensity, the southpaw pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts and two walks to help the T'Wolves beat McCurdy 11-1 in six innings.
    "My curveball was working," Padilla said. "Well, it's not quite a curveball. It's something my coach from my traveling team (the New Mexico Thunder) taught me."
    Padilla also hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning of the second game to boost East Mountain's lead to 10-1 and set the stage for a mercy-rule ending. Lance Seonia's single scored Andrew Ganger to finish it.
    "He's really done a good job in every game he's played," Timberwolves coach David Naylor said of Padilla. "We've worked on arm-strengthening a lot. And he has about three more pitches that work for him. He has enough to get past the batter, and his breaking pitch is working well."
    EMHS pitchers Marco Grieco and Jeff DeLanoy combined for nine Ks and five walks in the first game. The duo gave up eight hits.
    "But our pitching in the first game was inconsistent," Naylor said. "We put some runners on base. If you let runners get on base by an error, a walk or a hit by pitch, you're giving the other team chances."
    East Mountain had 12 hits, including a home run apiece from Ganger and Brandon Whipple. Ganger knocked in two runs, crossed home plate twice and stole a base.
    Padilla contributed a double in addition to his homer. He had three RBI, scored three runs and stole three bases.
    Padilla also became embroiled in a shoving match with a Bobcat at the conclusion of McCurdy's at-bats in the third inning of the second game.
    After Padilla got the third out via a strikeout, the Bobcat, who was stranded on third base, and the T'Wolf pitcher passed each other as they headed to their respective dugouts. Somebody said something to somebody— Padilla said he called him a name— and a short-lived brouhaha ensued.
    "I shouldn't have lost my cool," Padilla said.
    The player, who was hit by a pitch to get on base, thought Padilla had done it on purpose, the Timberwolf said.
    McCurdy co-coach Raul Avila was ejected after Bobcats pitcher Devin Duran hit East Mountain's leadoff hitter, Justin Baker, in the bottom of the third, and the plate umpire issued a warning to Duran.
    Avila argued that Padilla should have also been cautioned when he hit the McCurdy batsman earlier in the inning.
    The Bobcats pitching staff allowed 10 hits, gave up five walks and struck out six in the second game. The Bobcats had eight Ks and walked three in the first game.
    "I think it was very good first game; we got some hits," McCurdy co-coach Roberto De Vargas said. "It did get a little emotional with the kids... It's not a good thing for baseball."
    Whipple got his second home run, a blast over the left-field barrier, in the fourth inning of the second contest. Ganger was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a stolen base, and Grieco was 3-for-4 and had two RBI.
    "We should be a good team," De Vargas said. "We should be able to go forward."
    The Timberwolves (11-1), who are on a 10-game winning streak, also defeated the Santa Fe Prep junior varsity in a doubleheader at the state capital's Municipal Recreation Center on Saturday. EMHS won 17-3 and 12-3.
    East Mountain's scheduled doubleheader versus Jemez Valley, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was canceled.
    "I feel good about our team heading into district," Naylor said.
   
Estancia
    The Bears (7-3) defeated Roswell's Gateway Christian 9-3 in the first round of the Santa Rosa tournament on April 3.
    Estancia then lost 6-4 to Class 3A Hope Christian on Friday and 10-4 to 2A Tucumcari on Saturday.
    "It didn't go as planned," EHS coach Mike Cabber said. "We proved that if we don't hit, we won't win. If we don't play our game, anyone can beat us."
   
Moriarty
    The Pintos swept Grants 11-1 and 16-6 in a District 5-4A doubleheader in Cibola County on Saturday.
    But the Pintos (8-4, 2-2) find themselves in a bit of a hole in the district race after losing 12-9 at Belen on Tuesday.
   
Manzano
    The Monarchs (7-8, 2-1) split its last two District 5-5A games. Manzano defeated Rio Grande 8-7 at the Ravens' field on Saturday, and Los Lunas beat the visiting Monarchs 5-1 on April 3.
    Sandia High trounced the Monarchs 12-1 in a nondistrict game at Manzano Tuesday.