Mike Powers| News-Bulletin photo
Valencia’s Brady Hoefler slides in safely during the Jaguars’ victory over Pojoaque in the first game of the Valencia Invitational.
Close contests were hard to come by last week as Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia opened the baseball season with three tournament games each.
VHS hosted the Valencia Invitational, posting a 2-1 record against what first-year coach Carlos Ramirez called a “good mix of teams that allowed us to see where we are at as far as skills and abilities.”
Thursday against Pojoaque in front of a large contingent of Valencia students, the Jaguars scored six runs in the first inning and went on to beat the Elks 11-1 in a game shortened by the 10-run rule. The key blow was a bases loaded triple by Zaylon Zamora.
In the semifinals, Hope defeated Valencia 11-1, but VHS bounced back with a 12-2 victory over Santa Fe Capital, as Bradley Hoefler went the distance with a five-inning 3-hitter.
“We had some younger guys step up and show they can compete at the varsity level,” Ramirez said.
Starting Thursday, Valencia plays in the Alamogordo Invitational, against Roswell, NMMI and Alamogordo.
Both Belen and Los Lunas competed in the Cleveland Invitational, a round robin tournament. BHS (1-2) opened with a convincing 11-2 victory over Hobbs, pounding out 13 hits with Christian Wilson getting the win on the mound.
Against Piedra Vista, the Eagles fell behind early and lost 13-7. That was followed by a one-hit, 11-0 loss to a very good Clovis team.
“Overall, we threw some guys who haven’t pitched in a varsity game before, so we got to see some things,” said coach Tom Wisneski.
“I was a little bit disappointed in our approach on offense but nothing that can’t be fixed.”
Belen will be at a Hobbs tournament starting Thursday, with games against Artesia, Farmington and, for the second time, Clovis.
Los Lunas will also be in Hobbs, facing a power-packed schedule against Cleveland, Volcano Vista and Artesia.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” said coach Paul Cieremans.
The Tigers went 2-1 in the Cleveland tournament, with an 18-7 win over Piedra Vista, a 12-8 setback to Clovis and a 12-1 five-inning victory against Hobbs.
“We had a lot of growth with the young guns. They’re starting to play well together, lots of chemistry going on.”
Cieremans complimented several players, including Matthew Castillo, J.J. Utash and Alan Galaviz, who gave up just three hits in the victory over Hobbs.
“Pitching was good,” aside from too many walks, and “hitting was great, for the most part,” the coach said.
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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April 25, 2024
