Mike Powers| News-Bulletin photo
Fabian Trujillo scores for Los Lunas against Cleveland during the quarterfinals of the 5A State Baseball Championships.
Albuquerque
A spirited rally by Los Lunas came up one run short last Thursday during the quarterfinals of the 5A State Baseball Championships against Cleveland.
After digging a 7-0 hole against the third-seed Storm at the Riordan Sports Complex, the No. 11 Tigers (19-11) refused to call it a season.
“These boys battled from day one until 30 games in,” said LLHS coach Paul Cieremans. “They didn’t give up, ever.”
It sure seemed like it was not going to be Los Lunas’ night when on his very first toss, a screaming line drive hit LLHS pitcher Matthew Castillo on his pitching wrist.
“It impacted me,” Castillo said of the injury. “I tried to make it through, battle through.”
Despite some swelling, Castillo did battle on. After an error kept the first inning alive, a double drove in two runs to put CHS on the board. With Castillo struggling in the second inning, Cleveland scored five runs.
That brought on JJ Utash to pitch, with Castillo moving to shortstop. Utash was able to get out of the inning with a bases-full strikeout, keeping the Storm off the board the rest of the game.
The Los Lunas bats came alive in the fourth inning, with Fabian Trujillo leading off with a double.
“Once we had an opening, we jumped on it,” Cieremans said. “We got some key base hits, smart base running. We had some fun and that’s what this team is all about.”
Castillo and Utash drove in runs during the rally, with two more coming in on a wild pitch and a bad throw to first base. Suddenly, the score was 7-4.
As the energy in the dugout continued to rise, the gap closed even more in the fifth inning, with Castillo and Utash again contributing clutch hits to make it 7-6.
“I was trying to do whatever I could do for my guys to get us back in the game,” Castillo said.
However, after the fifth inning the hits dried up for Los Lunas, with the game and season coming to an end.
“We’ve been grinding with each other for years and years,” Castillo said of his teammates. “I love every one of those guys. I’d do anything for them.”
It was the final game for LLHS seniors Trujillo, Maxim Moya, Isaac Martinez, Simon Fritsch and Dominick Caldwell.
Cleveland reached the title game but lost to La Cueva 3-2.
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
