NMMI Sports Press
The Colt Baseball team used a 10-run sixth inning to break the stalemate against the Loving Falcons Saturday night in Dexter and win the 23rd annual Hal Bogle Tournament with a 16-9 victory in a championship game that ran close to three-and-a-half hours.
The Colts and Falcons battled to a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two outs, NMMI starting pitcher Miguel Rivera was relieved by Bailey Mego, who got the strike-three call to end the frame.
In the top of the sixth, NMMI head coach Brad Blackwell was tossed from the game by the home plate umpire after a spirited discussion over the third out.
With two outs and two runners on base, Luis Patron attempted to steal third and was initially called safe by the third-base umpire, but after the officiating crew discussed the play, the call was reversed.
The Colts responded to their coach’s ejection by locking in on defense in the bottom of the frame. Mego trusted his defense and challenged the Falcons to swing, getting two quick 6-3 putouts. The final out came on a hard-hit ball to second, where sophomore Ryan Mego gathered it and tossed to Rivera at first.
Center fielder Nicolas Barcenas led off the top of the seventh with a sharp grounder through the gap to left. Loving changed pitchers and Bailey Mego drew a walk. With third baseman Noah Martinez at the plate, the Loving catcher tried to catch Barcenas stealing third and threw high, allowing Barcenas to jog home for the 7-6 lead.
Martinez laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Bailey Mego to third. Ryan Mego hit a fly ball to right center, but the outfielder lost it in the lights, preserving an out for the Colts and allowing the elder Mego to score.
Left fielder Roman Fox blasted a double to right field before a wild pitch during right fielder Sergio Gonzales’ at bat let Ryan Mego trot across home plate. Gonzales hit one deep, but too far left, adjusted and blooped a pitch to shallow right, sending Fox home for a 10-6 lead.
Tegin Maloney, who was later named most valuable player of the tournament, hit a hard liner right at the second baseman for the second out, but the sophomore pitcher and shortstop came back to the dugout with intensity and positivity.
“Tegin’s a sophomore but plays like a senior,” Blackwell said. “He’s a captain and probably the most vocal leader on the team. He pitched his tail off in the semi-final, had some great plays at shortstop, and swung the bat really well.
His teammates responded as Patron drove Gonzales home with a double to left, and Rivera lined one to right that dropped on the outfielder as he tried to make the diving play and stretched it into a double.
Barcenas came to the plate for the second time in the inning, this time blooping the first pitch he saw into left, sending Patron and Rivera home to grow the lead to 13-6.
Depleted from the long inning, Loving pitcher Tristen Onsurez put three consecutive Colts on base and allowed Barcenas to score on a wild pitch. With the bases loaded, Fox drew a five-pitch walk, bringing junior Kendrick Tsosie home for the final NMMI run.
In the final frame, Bailey Mego quickly earned the first out, but ran out of gas and started putting Falcons on base, eventually giving up two runs on HBPs. Ryan Mego entered for his brother and got the second out on a grounder to Maloney.
The final out came on a shallow fly ball to right where Gonzales covered a lot of ground before making the diving catch to end the game.
“They never let up,” Blackwell said. “6-6, late in the game, tournament championship and they responded the way a championship team should. They found some of that fire we’ve been looking for and I’m sorry that I had to watch from outside the fence, but my coaching staff did an amazing job. I’m blessed to have those guys on my side.”
The Colts will finally play a home game next week when they host Tularosa on Thursday in the first round of the Sertoma Colt Classic at NMMI Ballpark.
“We’re definitely looking forward to the Classic,” said Blackwell. “I think winning this tournament as spring break starts, the kids will get a little time off and then we’ll regroup and be fired up for our tourney. We have some good clubs coming in and it should be an intense tournament.”
After six games as the Colts’ skipper, Blackwell said he’s having fun and relishing the opportunity to guide and mentor kids whose shoes he has been in.
“As a former college cadet, I kind of understand what the kids go through in the Corps,” he said. “It’s really helped me be able to relate to them and form some chemistry quickly. The guys are fun to be around and we have a good time.”
The 29th annual Roswell-Sertoma Colt Classic starts at 10 a.m. Thursday with Eunice taking on Texico at NMMI Ballpark.
The Colts (5-1) take on the Tularosa Wildcats at 7 p.m. Thursday.