DOVE CREEK - While much of Colorado took shelter from Sturday's snowstorm, the Ignacio Bobcats managed to overcome Dove Creek's baseball team to score a serious 9-8, 12-6 sweep in Dolores County.
How serious?
How about completing a three-game, season sweep of the reigning Class 1A State Champions, in conditions including: a temperature which fluctuated between 35 and 40 degrees, winds which varied between five and 25 miles per hour, and a rain-snow mix which tried relentlessly to freeze anyone attempting to brave it, no matter how many blankets in which he or she sought warmth.
In winning their seventh straight game since Spring Break, and passing their first road test of 2016, the 'Cats took a 2-0 lead in Game 1 against the Bulldogs and after senior Colin Hobbs hacked his first of three homers on the day. That helped DCHS take a brief 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first inning. IHS fought for a game-breaking five runs in the top of the second and managed to keep the locals at bay the rest of the way.
But the opening one-run win didn't come easily.
Reliever Juanito Medina gave up an unearned run to DC senior Case Baughman in the seventh when a Scott Gatlin single-after Baughman walked-induced two Ignacio fielding errors as Baughman never really stopped running bag to bag.
But despite Gatlin having advanced to third on the bizarre play, Medina-who'd gone 3-for-3 and scored twice himself-fanned both Spencer Gatlin and Kyle Schultz (L; 1.1 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) to earn the save. Senior Tucker Ward pitched the first part of the game.
Senior Anthony Manzanares went 2-4 with a key three-run homer during the Ignacio second, and also whacked a triple in finishing with four RBIs and two runs scored. Ward tripled and doubled in his 2-3 batting, driving in two and scoring twice, and senior Austin McCaw was 2-3 with a double.
In Game 2, the 'Cats snapped a 5-5 tie through three innings with a monstrous seven-run fourth, highlighted by a Medina homer with runners on. Medina finished 2-3 with a walk and a run, while Ward went 2-5 and scored twice and Kruz Pardo (0-4, BB, 2 R in Game 1) was 2-4 with a walk and a run.
At the top of Coach Bert Miller's batting order, Manzanares was again outstanding with 4-for-4 hitting, one walk and two runs scored in support of starting junior Zach Weinreich, who earned the win on the mound.
Ernst was 1-for-3 with a run as the 'Dogs again tasted defeat despite Hobbs mashing two more taters and going 3-4 with three runs.
Improving to 8-3 overall and 5-0 in the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League by drubbing Dove Creek (4-11, 1-4 after losing 12-6 at Nucla on Tuesday), Ignacio was set to host La Jara Centauri (3-6, 2-0 3A Intermountain) in non-league action yesterday, but results were unavailable at press time.
Up next, IHS will make the long haul to Nucla (6-8, 4-1) tomorrow for a crucial SJBL twinbill beginning at 11 a.m. The Mustangs began the week ranked eighth in the CHSAANow.com Class 1A poll, having been elevated from 10th after the Bulldogs' demotion from #7 to #9 in the wake of their losses at home.
CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 2A POLL, 4/18: 1.Paonia, 2.Julesburg-Ovid Revere Sedgwick County, 3.McClave-Wiley County Line, 4.Hotchkiss, 5.Rocky Ford, 6.Loveland Resurrection Christian, 7.Swink, 8.Haxtun, 9.Akron, 10.Greeley Dayspring Christian. (Others receiving votes-Rye, Limon, Littleton Front Range Christian, Yuma, Ordway Crowley County, Peyton, IGNACIO, Sargent
