Today we take a quick look at what to watch in the quarterfinals for Classes 6A-4A, touch on the 3A/2A Semifinals, and recap the 3A/2A action from Wednesday.
Class 6A Quarterfinals - Lobo Field
10AM - No. 3 La Cueva vs. No. 6 Eldorado
The La Cueva Bears now 17-9 will take on district rival Eldorado 19-8 at 10AM at Lobo Field. Between the two teams, there are 10 players that have committed to play college baseball. The Bears lead the series 2-1 this year and to make it even more interesting, this is a rematch of the 2014 state title where La Cueva won 5-4.
1PM - No. 13 Sandia vs. No. 5 Volcano Vista
The Sandia Matadors surprised the state knocking off No. 4 seeded Carlsbad last weekend in three games. While the Matadors are just three games over .500, they are battle tested and have guys like Drew Gillespie and Jimmy Gallegos stepping up. Volcano Vista is loaded as usual and has won 19-games on the season. Watch for Tanner West, one of the top juniors and top pitchers in New Mexico.
4PM - No. 2 Rio Rancho vs. No. 10 Mayfield
The Rams escaped a scrappy Las Cruces team last weekend and will play another team out of Las Cruces in the quarterfinals. This match up didn’t go well for Rio Rancho in 2014 with Mayfield beating them 4-1 in the quarters at Lobo Field. Watch for Wyatt Kelley on the bump if he gets the call. The Trojans are 15-11 this year and pulled off an impressive series victory over Clovis in three games in the 1st round. Last weekend against the Wildcats Eric Lucero had 10K’s and only gave up 2 earned runs.
7PM - No. 9 Hobbs vs. No. 1 Onate
Not sure how many prep baseball fans expected the Hobbs Eagles to just roll past Cleveland in the opening round, hats off to Head Eagle Coach Marco Boyle for putting together a great game plan to beat a very good team. Now the underdog again, lets see what the Eagles do to stop a red hot Onate Knight teams. The Knights buried Cibola in two games last weekend winning 11-0 and 10-0. Taylor Serna threw a no-hitter and Fernando Escapita went deep.
Class 5A Quarterfinals - Cleveland Stadium
10AM - No. 6 Espanola vs. No. 3 Los Alamos
The Espanola Sundevils are now 20-6 after beating a very good Farmington team in two quick games 3-1, 5-3. Next up they are will face Los Alamos who they have played already three times and lost twice. While many might give the quick edge to Los Alamos, Espanola is loaded with talent headlined by Elias Archuleta who has 6 home runs on the year. The Hilltoppers are 22-6 this year and 11-1 on the year, riding a fantastic 12 game winning streak. Their last lost ironically comes against Espanola back on April 8th. Loaded with talent from day one, Los Alamos is led by brothers Jared and Connor Mang, each who are committed to New Mexico. Also, watch for Lane Saunders, who is lights out on the mound.
1PM - No. 8 Artesia vs. No. 1 Piedra Vista
The Piedra Vista Panthers are 23-4 on the season and have won 14 games in a row. As we mentioned last week, they are currently undefeated against New Mexico Teams. While they took two from Roswell in the opening round, the teams were closer than a usual 1 vs. 16 match up (3-0, 6-1). Watch for Gunner Archuleta threw a 1 hit shutout and went 3-7 with a triple against the Coyotes. Wyatt Weaver has had a very solid year and against Roswell last week he threw a complete game, was 2-5 at the plate with 3 RBI’s. The Artesia Bulldogs beat Santa Teresa in another very close series winning both games 2-0. Artesia as just 5 seniors on the roster and a good amount of their underclassmen continue to impress weekly. Tristan Bowden a junior threw a 1 hit complete game shutout against Santa Teresa and sophomore Jharyss Granger has been on fire at the plate.
4PM - No. 5 Valencia vs. No. 5 Academy
The Chargers took care of Belen in two games and now are 20-6 on the year winning 9-in a row. Their pitching continues to set them apart and gives them a slight edge against Valencia. Last weekend against Belen, Ian Russell hit a home run, Joe Sava had three hits, Randall Gurule threw a complete game, Zeke Long had three hits, and Thomas Braybrooks also picked up a win going the distance. Academy certainly is hitting their stride and has the talent to make a real run at the title this year. With that being said, Valencia is an outstanding club, making this the marquee match up in the 5A quarterfinals. Head Valencia Coach Carlos Carrasco continues to elevate the Jaguar’s baseball program and a win against Academy is not out of the question. Watch for Senior Standout Cade Guthrie who is batting .488 on the year with 14 RBI’s and 4 home runs. Carlos Ramirez ripped two home runs against Los Lunas last weekend and Daniel Barela also went deep. Academy has the pitching, Valencia has the hitting, this one should be tight throughout.
7PM - No. 10 Centennial vs. No. 2 Goddard
Though they are the very big underdog against Goddard in the quarterfinals, Centennial is dangerous with some very good underclassmen talent. In-fact, Centennial has not one senior on their entire roster. They have been extremely how down the stretch winning their last 14 games with a record of 11-3. The Goddard Rockets are 24-4 this year and finished district play with a 10-2 record. Loaded with talent, the Rockets are led by Justin Martinez, Ricky Roybal, and sophomore Cal Cillareal, who is likely one of the top 15 players in New Mexico. Last weekend they blew past Bernalillo 11-1, and 10-0.
Class 4A Quarterfinals - La Cueva/St. Pius X
12PM - No. 3 Ruidoso vs. No. 11 West LV
The Cinderella Team of Class 4A is here. West Las Vegas punched their ticket to Albuquerque after beating rival Robertson in the first round of the playoffs, taking 2 of 3 games. The Dons are led by Brian Gonzales who is batting .457 with 29 RBI’s and Senior Andy Gabaldon who batting .493 with 19 RBI’s. Ruidoso has been a pleasant surprise this year winning 19 games under Head Coach Gilbert Alvarado. The Warriors have received outstanding play from Senior Cade Patterson who is batting .535 at the plate with 35 RBI’s and 3 home runs. Patterson is also 5-0 on the mound with 51 K’s.
12PM - No. 4 Portales vs. No. 5 Bloomfield
The Portales Rams and the Bloomfield Bobcats is one of the more even match ups taking place across the board this weekend. The Rams are 21-8 and finished district with a record of 8-4. On the season, Portales has been led by Matt Martinez who is batting .440 with 29 RBI’s and Rey Ornelas who is 6-0 on the mound. The Bobcats also won 21-games and went 10-0 in district and are riding an 11-game winnings streak. It will be interesting to see how Bloomfield plays in the tournament as they have not played a top ranked team since early April.
3PM - No. 7 St. Mike’s vs. No. 2 Cobre
The St. Michael’s Horsemen have a tall task in front of them being paired up with Cobre. It’s been a long wait for the Horsemen to get back to the title game (last appearance was in 2004). This year’s team is led by Marcus Pincheria-Sandoval on the mound, he can keep them in this game. Cobre is going for their third state championship and even though they are playing a class up, Cobre has the talent to get back to the title game. Last week: Jordan Benfield was 3-5 with 6RBI’s and hit an HR. Cavin Roberson was 7-7 with 4RBI’s and Marcus Sanchez was 4-4 with 5RBI’s.
3PM - No. 8 Silver vs. No. 1 Sandia Prep
The defending Class 3A state champs, the Silver Colts went 15-13 on the season and though they are come into this match up as the big underdog they have played Sandia Prep well in the past. In fact, last year it was Silver that ended Sandia Prep’s season in the playoffs. For Silver, watch for Zach Jasso one of just 4 seniors on the roster. Sandia Prep is one of the most dangerous teams in New Mexico regardless of Class. Mikey Gangwish who is up for the NMPreps.com Mr. Baseball Award is batting .584 with 34 RBI’s and is 6-0 on the mound with 45K’s. Beau Williams has 26 RBI’s and Sophomore Joe Martinez has an average of .389 with 2 home runs. Their pitching is outstanding with guys like Harris McConnell (7-1) and Beau Williams (7-0) leading the way.
Class 3A Semifinals - Eldorado
12PM - No. 5 Mesilla vs. No. 1 Lordsburg
Mesilla Valley blew past Pecos in the quarterfinals 15-3 and will now face Lordsburg who has beaten them three times on the year. The No. 1 seeded Mavericks rolled past Texico 13-0. Johnny Plowman hit a triple and a double on the night and closed the door in the final inning.
3PM - No. 3 Raton vs. No. 2 Eunice
The Raton Tigers had to dig deep in the quarterfinals to pull off a come from behind victory against Estancia last night winning 5-4. Today they take on Eunice who defeated Dexter 8-2 yesterday led by Freshman Bryce Foutz on the mound who threw 7K’s.
Class 2A Semifinals - Rio Rancho
12PM - No. 8 Gateway vs. No. 4 McCurdy
The No. 8 Gateway Warriors upset No. 1 Magdalena 5-4 and McCurdy got past rival Questa 2-0.
3PM - No. 6 Logan vs. No. 2 Melrose
Logan upset Floyd and Melrose took care of Jemez Valley with ease winning 13-0. Melrose has beaten Logan three times this year winning 7-1, 10-3, and 10-0.
Video Recaps from the 3A/2A Quarterfinals
Class 6A Quarterfinals - Lobo Field
10AM - No. 3 La Cueva vs. No. 6 Eldorado
The La Cueva Bears now 17-9 will take on district rival Eldorado 19-8 at 10AM at Lobo Field. Between the two teams, there are 10 players that have committed to play college baseball. The Bears lead the series 2-1 this year and to make it even more interesting, this is a rematch of the 2014 state title where La Cueva won 5-4.
1PM - No. 13 Sandia vs. No. 5 Volcano Vista
The Sandia Matadors surprised the state knocking off No. 4 seeded Carlsbad last weekend in three games. While the Matadors are just three games over .500, they are battle tested and have guys like Drew Gillespie and Jimmy Gallegos stepping up. Volcano Vista is loaded as usual and has won 19-games on the season. Watch for Tanner West, one of the top juniors and top pitchers in New Mexico.
4PM - No. 2 Rio Rancho vs. No. 10 Mayfield
The Rams escaped a scrappy Las Cruces team last weekend and will play another team out of Las Cruces in the quarterfinals. This match up didn’t go well for Rio Rancho in 2014 with Mayfield beating them 4-1 in the quarters at Lobo Field. Watch for Wyatt Kelley on the bump if he gets the call. The Trojans are 15-11 this year and pulled off an impressive series victory over Clovis in three games in the 1st round. Last weekend against the Wildcats Eric Lucero had 10K’s and only gave up 2 earned runs.
7PM - No. 9 Hobbs vs. No. 1 Onate
Not sure how many prep baseball fans expected the Hobbs Eagles to just roll past Cleveland in the opening round, hats off to Head Eagle Coach Marco Boyle for putting together a great game plan to beat a very good team. Now the underdog again, lets see what the Eagles do to stop a red hot Onate Knight teams. The Knights buried Cibola in two games last weekend winning 11-0 and 10-0. Taylor Serna threw a no-hitter and Fernando Escapita went deep.
Class 5A Quarterfinals - Cleveland Stadium
10AM - No. 6 Espanola vs. No. 3 Los Alamos
The Espanola Sundevils are now 20-6 after beating a very good Farmington team in two quick games 3-1, 5-3. Next up they are will face Los Alamos who they have played already three times and lost twice. While many might give the quick edge to Los Alamos, Espanola is loaded with talent headlined by Elias Archuleta who has 6 home runs on the year. The Hilltoppers are 22-6 this year and 11-1 on the year, riding a fantastic 12 game winning streak. Their last lost ironically comes against Espanola back on April 8th. Loaded with talent from day one, Los Alamos is led by brothers Jared and Connor Mang, each who are committed to New Mexico. Also, watch for Lane Saunders, who is lights out on the mound.
1PM - No. 8 Artesia vs. No. 1 Piedra Vista
The Piedra Vista Panthers are 23-4 on the season and have won 14 games in a row. As we mentioned last week, they are currently undefeated against New Mexico Teams. While they took two from Roswell in the opening round, the teams were closer than a usual 1 vs. 16 match up (3-0, 6-1). Watch for Gunner Archuleta threw a 1 hit shutout and went 3-7 with a triple against the Coyotes. Wyatt Weaver has had a very solid year and against Roswell last week he threw a complete game, was 2-5 at the plate with 3 RBI’s. The Artesia Bulldogs beat Santa Teresa in another very close series winning both games 2-0. Artesia as just 5 seniors on the roster and a good amount of their underclassmen continue to impress weekly. Tristan Bowden a junior threw a 1 hit complete game shutout against Santa Teresa and sophomore Jharyss Granger has been on fire at the plate.
4PM - No. 5 Valencia vs. No. 5 Academy
The Chargers took care of Belen in two games and now are 20-6 on the year winning 9-in a row. Their pitching continues to set them apart and gives them a slight edge against Valencia. Last weekend against Belen, Ian Russell hit a home run, Joe Sava had three hits, Randall Gurule threw a complete game, Zeke Long had three hits, and Thomas Braybrooks also picked up a win going the distance. Academy certainly is hitting their stride and has the talent to make a real run at the title this year. With that being said, Valencia is an outstanding club, making this the marquee match up in the 5A quarterfinals. Head Valencia Coach Carlos Carrasco continues to elevate the Jaguar’s baseball program and a win against Academy is not out of the question. Watch for Senior Standout Cade Guthrie who is batting .488 on the year with 14 RBI’s and 4 home runs. Carlos Ramirez ripped two home runs against Los Lunas last weekend and Daniel Barela also went deep. Academy has the pitching, Valencia has the hitting, this one should be tight throughout.
7PM - No. 10 Centennial vs. No. 2 Goddard
Though they are the very big underdog against Goddard in the quarterfinals, Centennial is dangerous with some very good underclassmen talent. In-fact, Centennial has not one senior on their entire roster. They have been extremely how down the stretch winning their last 14 games with a record of 11-3. The Goddard Rockets are 24-4 this year and finished district play with a 10-2 record. Loaded with talent, the Rockets are led by Justin Martinez, Ricky Roybal, and sophomore Cal Cillareal, who is likely one of the top 15 players in New Mexico. Last weekend they blew past Bernalillo 11-1, and 10-0.
Class 4A Quarterfinals - La Cueva/St. Pius X
12PM - No. 3 Ruidoso vs. No. 11 West LV
The Cinderella Team of Class 4A is here. West Las Vegas punched their ticket to Albuquerque after beating rival Robertson in the first round of the playoffs, taking 2 of 3 games. The Dons are led by Brian Gonzales who is batting .457 with 29 RBI’s and Senior Andy Gabaldon who batting .493 with 19 RBI’s. Ruidoso has been a pleasant surprise this year winning 19 games under Head Coach Gilbert Alvarado. The Warriors have received outstanding play from Senior Cade Patterson who is batting .535 at the plate with 35 RBI’s and 3 home runs. Patterson is also 5-0 on the mound with 51 K’s.
12PM - No. 4 Portales vs. No. 5 Bloomfield
The Portales Rams and the Bloomfield Bobcats is one of the more even match ups taking place across the board this weekend. The Rams are 21-8 and finished district with a record of 8-4. On the season, Portales has been led by Matt Martinez who is batting .440 with 29 RBI’s and Rey Ornelas who is 6-0 on the mound. The Bobcats also won 21-games and went 10-0 in district and are riding an 11-game winnings streak. It will be interesting to see how Bloomfield plays in the tournament as they have not played a top ranked team since early April.
3PM - No. 7 St. Mike’s vs. No. 2 Cobre
The St. Michael’s Horsemen have a tall task in front of them being paired up with Cobre. It’s been a long wait for the Horsemen to get back to the title game (last appearance was in 2004). This year’s team is led by Marcus Pincheria-Sandoval on the mound, he can keep them in this game. Cobre is going for their third state championship and even though they are playing a class up, Cobre has the talent to get back to the title game. Last week: Jordan Benfield was 3-5 with 6RBI’s and hit an HR. Cavin Roberson was 7-7 with 4RBI’s and Marcus Sanchez was 4-4 with 5RBI’s.
3PM - No. 8 Silver vs. No. 1 Sandia Prep
The defending Class 3A state champs, the Silver Colts went 15-13 on the season and though they are come into this match up as the big underdog they have played Sandia Prep well in the past. In fact, last year it was Silver that ended Sandia Prep’s season in the playoffs. For Silver, watch for Zach Jasso one of just 4 seniors on the roster. Sandia Prep is one of the most dangerous teams in New Mexico regardless of Class. Mikey Gangwish who is up for the NMPreps.com Mr. Baseball Award is batting .584 with 34 RBI’s and is 6-0 on the mound with 45K’s. Beau Williams has 26 RBI’s and Sophomore Joe Martinez has an average of .389 with 2 home runs. Their pitching is outstanding with guys like Harris McConnell (7-1) and Beau Williams (7-0) leading the way.
Class 3A Semifinals - Eldorado
12PM - No. 5 Mesilla vs. No. 1 Lordsburg
Mesilla Valley blew past Pecos in the quarterfinals 15-3 and will now face Lordsburg who has beaten them three times on the year. The No. 1 seeded Mavericks rolled past Texico 13-0. Johnny Plowman hit a triple and a double on the night and closed the door in the final inning.
3PM - No. 3 Raton vs. No. 2 Eunice
The Raton Tigers had to dig deep in the quarterfinals to pull off a come from behind victory against Estancia last night winning 5-4. Today they take on Eunice who defeated Dexter 8-2 yesterday led by Freshman Bryce Foutz on the mound who threw 7K’s.
Class 2A Semifinals - Rio Rancho
12PM - No. 8 Gateway vs. No. 4 McCurdy
The No. 8 Gateway Warriors upset No. 1 Magdalena 5-4 and McCurdy got past rival Questa 2-0.
3PM - No. 6 Logan vs. No. 2 Melrose
Logan upset Floyd and Melrose took care of Jemez Valley with ease winning 13-0. Melrose has beaten Logan three times this year winning 7-1, 10-3, and 10-0.
Video Recaps from the 3A/2A Quarterfinals
