RIO GRANDE COUNTY—Ending a wait of more than a month, Ignacio at last got the 2026 baseball season underway Friday morning, but didn’t do so against some cupcake of an opponent.
Able to reach base frequently in Monte Vista, the Bobcats couldn’t convert enough baserunners into scoreboard runs and ended up falling 14-4 (in five innings) and 9-2 to the Pirates—ranked third in the preseason 2A coaches poll, but either No. 1 or 2 in CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index prior to sweeping the doubleheader.
“I don’t think these guys are just a league-championship contender; I think they’re a state contender,” IHS head coach Isiah Valdez said. “We came out, had some first-game jitters, committed some uncharacteristic errors—we don’t usually do that; we pride ourselves on defense—but we battled back in Game 2. Kept it close, and struck first.”
Making his long-awaited debut after recovering from a serious football-season injury, Ignacio senior catcher Gabe Archuleta led off Game 2 singling MVHS left-hander Judah Howe’s first pitch into center, then took second when junior William Mendoza-Lechuga shot a grounder which third baseman Landon Sanchez couldn’t handle. Senior Stoney White Thunder-Lucero, however, then grounded to Sanchez, who not only forced Archuleta at the hot corner but then fired across the diamond to also collect White Thunder-Lucero.
But senior shortstop Ambrose Valdez then lifted a double to center, scoring Mendoza-Lechuga, then came around via a single by senior Sunny Flores into right, putting Ignacio up 2-0. Valdez then turned a 6-3 double play off Pirate senior catcher Chayse Bouet’s bat, and senior CF/1B Azariah Hurtado then flew out to Flores—solidifying IHS’ early advantage and giving freshman lefty Stephen Romero, whose arm angles varied between three-quarter and full sidearm, even more confidence in his first-ever start.
But after fellow freshman Zackariah Loudenburg was stranded at first base in the top of the second, Monte Vista rediscovered first-game form and, powered by Sanchez’s bases-clearing double over leftfielder Loudenburg, went up 5-2. Junior Jakoby Ross then ripped a two-RBI double in the bottom of the third, increasing the locals’ lead to 7-2.
Having bounced into a 4-3 DP in the top of the fourth, Romero (L; 4 IP, 7 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, HB) began the bottom of the inning freezing MVHS senior shortstop/designated hitter Kelby Mondragon with a 2-2 fastball for his first varsity-level strikeout, and later got Hurtado to line out to Valdez and strand courtesy runner Connor Mellott at second after Bouet doubled to left with two away.
Bouet singled home both Mondragon and leadoff man Kobe Jiron with two gone in the Pirates’ sixth, and Howe (7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, ER, 0 BB, HB, 4 K) allowed nothing to come of sophomore Joseph Atencio’s lead single in the Bobcats’ seventh in polishing off his complete-game W and improving Monte Vista’s record to 5-0 overall.
Also a lefty, Jiron earned the Game 1 win at Adrian M. Guitterez Memorial Field by dealing four frames and conceding four runs while scattering nine hits. He walked three ’Cats and struck out two while plunking none. Tagged for three runs in the bottom of the first inning and a fast four—two via a Hurtado triple to left, and another via Manny Jiron’s ground-rule double over the fence in left-center—in the second without recording an out, Archuleta (IP, 4 H, 4 BB, HB, K) took the season-opening loss.
Lefty White Thunder-Lucero came in to finish the second inning, but gave up three more runs as MVHS led 10-0 going into the top of the third—when Ignacio got an RBI-double (plating Flores) from Mendoza-Lechuga, an RBI-groundout (scoring Archuleta) from White Thunder-Lucero and an infield RBI-single (driving in Mendoza-Lechuga) by Valdez.
Howe (2-3, HBP, 2 R) and Ross (2-3, SAC-FLY) each booked four RBI in the 10-run victory, with Ross clinching it by singling Howe in from second with zero outs in the home half of the fifth. Hurtado went 3-4 with two runs and as many RBI, while Bouet and Manny Jiron each scored three runs.
Archuleta and Mendoza-Lechuga each went 2-3 with a run in defeat; Flores went 2-for-3 with two runs, while Valdez ended up 1-1 with two walks and White Thunder-Lucero 0-2 with a sacrifice-fly and two RBI.
“Our guys can battle with anyone in the state,” Isiah Valdez said. “We came out and hit the ball well against three really good arms, and moving forward I think we’re going to be able to put up a lot of runs. But our defense has to be there to keep people out of games…and we’re going to improve that stuff and look forward to a great season.”
