Pojoaque Valley Little League took down Española Valley in the first round of the double-elimination district tournament for Majors Little League.
Pojoaque earned a 16-6 victory in four innings led by a strong offense from their all-star team at Valdez Park in Española.
The all-star team had about two weeks to practice together, said coach JC Garcia.
“I feel proud to be on this team,” said Mateo Martinez, 12, who led the Pojoaque team with three RBIs and two runs scored in three plate appearances.
“Most of these guys are in school together, so they’ve got a good camaraderie going,” Garcia said.
Pojoaque struck first in the first inning with a two-run double by third-baseman Martinez.
Española scored a run in the second inning, but Pojoaque extended their lead with a huge second-inning rally.
Pojoaque walked nine times in the second inning, against four different pitchers, and sent 14 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs, and grabbing a 10-run lead.
“They’ve got to shake it off,” said Española coach Dwayne Epling.
Española started to rally back later, scoring four runs in the fourth inning, including two on a pinch hit by Vince Valdez.
But their efforts were not enough, as Pojoaque scored four of their own in the fourth inning to end the game with a run-rule victory.
“We’re coming back tomorrow night,” Pojoaque coach Mark Rivera said. “To do it again,” Garcia finished.
Española seeks their first district title since 2012. Pojoaque’s drought goes back to 2005.
“Just do what we have to do on the field,” Martinez said. “Keep practicing, and focus on the game instead of anything else.”
After their game, Santa Fe defeated Los Alamos in the later game 10-0 to advance to a semifinal round against Pojoaque on Thursday at 6 p.m. Los Alamos and Española meet after that game in an elimination fight.
Epling remains confident that Española can advance, chalking up the loss to nerves. Outside of the second inning, he pointed out, the game was competitive.
“I let them know, they are so much better than what they showed tonight,” Epling said. “They’ve got to have confidence in themselves. And they can do this. They can win this entire thing. There’s no doubt in my mind, they’re better than every team out here.”