St. Pius X wins 4-3. Here is my recap:
St. Pius X ended the Bulldogs season behind three first-inning runs, a key insurance run in the sixth and a solid pitching performance from junior Ryan McGaha. Artesia scored a run in the second and added two more in the top of the seventh but fell short.
McGaha deftly worked out of trouble in three of the first four innings as Artesia had two baserunners on in the first, second and fourth innings. But McGaha held them to a single run, allowing St. Pius to maintain a 3-1 lead through the middle innings.
“Ryan has thrown a ton of innings pitched this year and he has a quality outing every single time he’s on the mound,” St. Pius X interim coach Matt McCoy said. “He’s a horse out there. Ryan works better as the game goes on. I have been coaching him since he was eight years old. His baseball IQ is second to none.”
St. Pius X grabbed an early lead by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first on a RBI single and wild throw to first when the Sartans runner scored from second base. Artesia got one run back in the top of the second, but left two runners stranded.
St. Pius X loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third when Matthew Moleras lofted a foul down beyond first base. Artesia second baseman Cody Fuentes made a sensational catch, somersaulting over the fence. The runner on third scored on the play to give St. Pius X a 3-1 lead after three innings.
After Artesia starter J.R. Bustamante retired eight straight St. Pius batters through the fifth, the Sartans scored what proved to be the decisive run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-base error, fly out and sacrifice fly to dee center by Isaiah Chavez.
In the top of the seventh, McGaha got the first out on a groundout before Artesia closed the gap to 4-3 with a RBI triple by Ryan Null and run-scoring groundout. McCoy turned to senior Mitch Buffet out of the bullpen and the New Mexico State commit ended the game on a strikeout.
“We’re lucky in that we have some pitching depth to get us through,” McCoy said. “Artesia was very scrappy. They fought the whole way through. There is no give up in that team. We know how they are. We play them in football and basketball and everything else. They don’t want to lose to St. Pius or anybody else. We’re fortunate to come out of here with a win.”
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