As quickly as he worked Tuesday afternoon at IHS Field, it seemed sometimes that pitcher Juanito Medina spent more time receiving signals from his catcher than he did facing the visiting Dolores Bears.
Allowing just a one-out single to freshman Dakota Smith in the top of the second, Medina otherwise faced the minimum during his three innings and finished with five strikeouts-including three consecutively in the guests' third-against zero walks or hit batters to earn the win. Ignacio shut DHS down and out, 7 to 0.
Senior Anthony Manzanares' two-out, two-RBI single in the bottom of the second off junior Brandon Ward (L, CG; 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 2 HB, 3 K) broke open what had been a close contest, and sophomore Kruz Pardo's two-out, two-RBI single in the sixth all but did DHS in, as IHS equaled last year's win total by improving to 6-3 overall (3-0 2A/1A San Juan Basin).
Held to a rare 0-for-4 offensively, senior Tucker Ward instead made his mark on the mound with three scoreless innings of two-hit, zero-walk ball and four K's. Pardo then sealed the deal with a scoreless seventh, getting Smith to fly to center for the final out.
The Bears' best scoring chance came in the top of the fifth, when Smith (2-3, 2B) led off doubling to center past a diving Pardo. But Tucker Ward got Brandon Ward to fly to Pardo, running to his right after going all-out to his left, and Smith was then gunned at third by Pardo's one-hop throw for an 8-5 twin killing.
Freshman Brennan Hite then singled back through the box, keeping a fading hope alive, but was promptly thrown out attempting to steal second. And just like that, Dolores (0-9, 0-3) was all but done; Tucker Ward fanned Eric Eastman, Zach Hartle and David Schmittel in order to end the visitors' sixth, and Pardo allowed only Josh McCoy-hit by a pitch-to reach base during his cameo on the hill.
All told, Manzanares and Pardo each went 1-for-4 batting for the Bobcats, and junior Zach Weinreich went 1-3 with a run. Sophomore Kai Roubideaux and senior Chance Hine (who pinch-hit for Roubideaux in the fourth and remained in the game) each went 1-1 with a run.
Senior Joe Herrera was officially 0-1 in three plate appearances, but drew a walk, absorbed a Brandon Ward delivery and scored once. Medina did likewise, and senior Andrew Martinez went 0-2 with a walk and scored twice, but senior Austin McCaw-who robbed Tel Hamilton of a sure seventh-inning hit with a forward dive-was 0-3 as the heart of Ignacio's order (Ward, McCaw, Weinreich) finished a combined 1-for-10.
The top five in the Bears' order-Schmittel, Justin Purkat, Hamilton, McCoy, Smith-fared similarly by comparison, finishing 2-for-14 with five strikeouts and only Smith's knocks to write home about.
Having won their fifth game running since Spring Break, as well as finishing a nine-game homestand starting the 2016 season, the 'Cats will at last test themselves on the road with a doubleheader Saturday in Dove Creek. Already beaten once at IHS, the Bulldogs (1-1 SJBL) dropped to 4-8 overall after losing 11-2 at home Tuesday to sizzling Shiprock.
