Pojoaque Valley and Española Valley split their baseball doubleheader on May 15, with the Sundevils taking the early game 9-1 and the Elks coming out on top 10-7 in the afternoon.
“You practice, and all your preseason is built up to this moment so you can try to win your district,” said Española coach Joe Padilla.
Gerardo Sanchez started game one and pitched five innings, with just one unearned run allowed, and a remarkable 11 strikeouts. At one point, Sanchez K’d five straight batters, including striking out the side in the fourth.
Sanchez also reached base on a walk to lead off the first, and scored on an RBI double by Craig Calvert, and he walked and scored again in the second.
The Elks scratched the scoreboard in the fifth on a single by Ethan Montoya, who came to score on a passed ball.
But the Sundevils responded when Tyler Lomayma walked in a run in the fifth, and Adrian Padilla hit an RBI double as part of a three-run sixth to take a 9-1 lead.
Padilla took over for Sanchez on the mound in the sixth inning and finished the game with two scoreless innings, allowing just one baserunner who was then caught stealing.
“The first game they played well and hit well,” said Padilla. “We came back with the intentions to play the same way. We just struggled in the second game with getting hits.”
In game two, the Sundevils scored four runs in the third inning to tie the game, and took a 7-4 lead. But the Elks battled back with three in the sixth.
In the seventh inning, Padilla took over again on the mound with runners on the corners and none out, which quickly became second and third. He got a first out to center field without anyone advancing, but Dillan Naranjo hit a sacrifice fly to left when the throw was high. Two batters later, Ethan Montoya doubled home two more with a ground ball just over the third base bag, stretching the lead to 10-7.
Naranjo, in the bottom of the inning, hit Jeremy Martinez, but then got three straight outs to end the game.
Naranjo and Tse-Whang Pena both homered in the second game.
With the split in the doubleheader to start district play, Española moves to 4-6 overall, after a 17-0 loss to Sandia Prep on May 14. Their next game comes in a home doubleheader against Taos on Saturday.
Pojoaque is now 3-3 this season, and the Elks have a midweek game at Taos on Wednesday (5/19), and host Moriarty on Saturday.