NMMI Sports Press
The Colts took care of business Friday night in the semifinal round of the 29th annual Sertoma Colt Classic, run-ruling the Dexter Demons in five innings by a final score of 12-0.
Senior lefty Miguel Rivera tossed three scoreless innings, giving up three hits while striking out six and walking just one Demon. Junior outfielder Roman Fox and catcher Luis Patron kept Dexter off the scoreboard in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, and didn’t allow a hit.
“Miguel has been very consistent, he’s a guy that I always have a lot of confidence in and he’s having a good season,” said NMMI head coach Brad Blackwell. “Defense helped him out a little, but I couldn’t ask for much more from Miguel.”
Fox bounced back after a rough relief appearance in the Hal Bogle Tourney in Dexter last weekend, fanning two in the fourth inning.
“Fox came in and did exactly what we asked him to do,” Blackwell said. “I was excited to see him throw the way he did because that will help moving forward through the rest of the season, and especially district.”
The Colts racked up 10 hits on the night, with four coming in a big third inning where the Institute scored seven runs, including back-to-back inside-the-park home runs by Patron and Rivera.
Patron crushed a ball to straight-away centerfield that curved right in the high winds and bounced off the fence, scoring three runs. Rivera hammered a 1-1 offering that bounced just inside first base and past the baseman before he could react and rolled to the right field corner.
Sophomore outfielder Nicolas Barcenas continued his productive ways with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate, with an RBI, a run scored and a walk. Senior infielder Bailey Mego also went 2-for-3 and scored a run.
“We started off a little sluggish at the plate, but in the second and third innings we came around, started putting the ball in play, sitting back, driving balls to the middle and the other way,” said Blackwell. “The guys didn’t let up. They did what we needed to do to get out of here in five.”
The Colts will try to capture their first Sertoma title since 2015 when they take on the defending Class 2A state champions tomorrow night. Eunice held on to beat Santa Rosa 4-2 earlier in the day to earn their way to the championship game.
The Colts and Cardinals have already met once this season, on March 14 in Eunice, where the hosts won 7-6 after six NMMI runs in the final two innings, despite only recording two hits, weren’t quite enough for the comeback.
“To have success we have to hit the ball,” Blackwell said. “Scoring six runs off two hits is pretty impressive, but it won’t happen often. But if we’re swinging like we have been the last couple weekends, I think we could put up a lot of runs and win this thing.”
Dexter and Santa Rosa will meet in the third-place game at 10 a.m. at NMMI Ballpark.
The rest of the day’s games were nail biters, with Capitan topping Texico 7-6 in extra innings in the first consolation semifinal and Hatch Valley edging Tularosa 4-3 in the other semi.
Capitan and Hatch Valley will meet for the consolation championship at 8 a.m. at NMMI Ballpark. The seventh-place contest between Texico and Tularosa at 10 a.m. will be played at Roswell High School and will not be livestreamed.
The Colts (7-1) will face the Cardinals (6-1) at 7:30 p.m. at NMMI Ballpark.