The Durango High School baseball team picked up its game on Tuesday for a rematch with the Farmington Scorpions.
Farmington won the first game on its home field by the run-rule, 18-3. Tuesday’s contest was much closer, with the Scorpions leading DHS 5-3 after five innings of play. Farmington, however, scored eight runs in the last two innings to pull away and eventually win the game 13-3.
“We were definitely in the ballgame longer,” said DHS head coach Rob Coddington. “The score didn’t show it, but we definitely had some victories.”
Pitcher Tagert Bardin helped keep DHS close to Farmington, only surrendering five runs, four earned, in five innings of work.
“He did a good job,” Coddington said. “He gave us a chance to win, for sure.”
Bardin struck out three batters in the first inning, but a walk, a single and a balk helped FHS take a 1-0 lead.
Michael Benner led off the bottom of the first with a double for Durango, but the inning ended with a double play.
Chance Costa turned a double play for DHS in the second, catching a line drive and then getting another runner out at first.
The Demons then tied the game in the bottom of the second. Tanner Coddington tripled down the right filed line and scored on an RBI single from Ian Szura, making it 1-1. The Demons loaded the bases after that, but Farmington’s center fielder was able to chase down a bomb off the bat of Gavin Hamlin to end the inning.
The Scorpions took the lead back in the third when Hunter Martin homered over the left field fence. Chris Stocking tripled and scored on a ground out to extend FHS’ lead to 3-1. Durango committed back-to-back errors to help Farmington score one more.
Neither team scored in their next time at bat, but DHS was able to cut the lead in half in the fourth. Szura hit an infield single to start the inning and Bardin bunted him to second. Costa walked, but was thrown at a second on a Benner fielder’s choice. Hamlin then walked to load the bases for Brady Hansen. Before Hansen could put the ball in play, Farmington’s catcher tried to pick off Hamlin at first, and his throw went into the outfield. JJ Hoerl, Szura’s courtesy runner, came around to score on the play. Benner also tried to score, but was caught in a pickle.
“We had some opportunities offensively against Farmington, but some breaks didn’t go our way,” Coddington said, noting that three or four Demons were thrown at home in the game.
The contest stayed close for another inning, but the Scorpions were able to score three in the sixth and five in the seventh to pull away.
DHS slipped to 7-5 overall with the loss, while Farmington improved to 10-8.
Next, DHS will begin its 4A/5A Southwestern League season by hosting Grand Junction Central (6-6) for a pair of games. The squads will square off at 3 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday at DHS.
“We just need to clean up our errors,” Coddington said. “Our pitchers are giving us a chance and our hitters are starting to come around. We just have to focus for seven inning and we’ll be competitive; we have to play the other team and not ourselves.”
