Mike Powers| News-Bulletin photo
Belen lost to Albuquerque Academy last Thursday 4-1 during the quarterfinals of the 4A State Baseball Championship.
Albuquerque
The quarterfinals of the 4A State Baseball Championship were difficult for the Belen Eagles on several fronts.
First, third-seeded BHS lost to No. 6 Albuquerque Academy 4-1 at the Riordan Sports Complex in Albuquerque. Then, following the contest, Tom Wisneski confirmed that he was retiring as Eagles coach.
As for the game, Belen couldn’t solve Chargers’ ace pitcher Matthew Delaney, who gave up just four hits and struck out 11 in six innings of work.
“Delaney is a great pitcher. We thought we were ready for him. We didn’t get a whole lot of help from the guy behind the dish,” Wisneski said, referring to the balls and strikes calls of the home plate umpire.
Coming into the game, the Eagles had been the top hitting team in the state, leading 4A in scoring and batting average. However, Belen was also first in runners left on base.
“That’s the Achilles heel of our team and it came up tonight,” the coach said. “We left nine guys on base.”
Outfielder Frankie Rocha, senior, said the Eagles had trouble getting around on pitches.
“We were just all late,” Rocha said. “We needed to get the bats back. At the end of the day, they just beat us.”
Tom Wisneski
Retiring
After scraping home their only run in the first inning to tie the score, the Eagles left the bases loaded in the second inning, the best opportunity for BHS to break through against Delaney.
Academy was having trouble of their own against Belen starter Christian Wilson, who scattered 11 hits before being relieved in the seventh inning. But single runs in the first, second, fifth and sixth innings were enough to give the Chargers a cushion.
The Eagles went down in order in their last at-bat, ending the season short of their ultimate goal, but still posting an impressive 20-9 record.
“It was a great season, good group of guys,” said Wisneski, who made no secret at the start of the season that this would be his final year at BHS. “The seniors were a pleasure to coach.”
Including Rocha and Wilson, Belen loses eight seniors: Diego Avila, Joey Torres, Andrew Apodaca, Jaden Farrel, Angel Garcia and Brysen Soiles.
Belen’s 5-4A rival Grants captured the state title.
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.
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June 13, 2024
