Held to just two true base hits, the Ignacio Bobcats could not scratch out more than one run Saturday afternoon in the season-ending loss to Eastern Plains powerhouse Limon 10-1 in the second round of the CHSAA Class 2A Region 1 Regional
The Badgers were seeded No. 1 in the 2024 CHSAA Class 2A state seeding. Limon improved to 24-0 with the win while Ignacio ended its season 18-7 after the loss.
“Baseball’s like life, and life’s like baseball; the ball bounces your way sometimes and doesn’t go your way other days, but you’ve got to keep fighting,” said IHS head coach Isiah Valdez. “That’s what these guys did all year; they gave me everything. We went toe-to-toe with the best team in the state for the better part of a ballgame. They fought, gave me everything they had and I let them know that, most of all, I love ’em, you know?”
Following a 33-minute lightning/rain delay, senior Phillip Quintana led off the visitors’ sixth inning down 6-0 at Bob Smith Memorial Baseball Park with a single, then moved up to second via a one-out walk to sophomore Ambrose Valdez. The pair gained another base when Limon pitcher Jordan Rockwell tagged senior Marcus Maez. With bases loaded, sophomore Gabe Archuleta grounded out to Limon first baseman Mason Jaques but not fast enough to give Jaques time to gun Quintana down at the plate and allowing Quintana to score.
Rockwell then struck out William Mendoza-Lechuga to kill off the developing rally. Coming off Limon’s 20-0 destruction of 32-seed Sanford a couple hours earlier, it kept that momentum going with four game-breaking runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Stoney White Thunder replaced Montoya in the bottom of the sixth, but one of the sophomore lefty’s first deliveries to Trey Smith was wild and allowed Kollath to score, increasing LHS’ lead to 7-1. Smith then hit a single down the right field line, allowing Jaques and Haflich to score. He got to second base thanks to an errant relay throw from Bobcat first baseman Rylan Maez.
Having slammed the door on Sanford earlier that day with a two-run homer, Rockwell hit Ignacio with a ground-rule double over the fence in left-center, scoring Smith. White Thunder (0.2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 K) recovered to strike out the dangerous Bandy (2-3, BB, 3 R, RBI), and catcher Quintana scooped up a dropped third strike and threw to Rylan Maez for the out.
Rockwell (3 IP, 2 H, ER, 3 BB, HB, 8 K) then worked swiftly in the seventh and struck out three of the four batters he saw, including Montoya (0-3, BB, 3 K) and after a walk to White Thunder (0-2, 2 BB, K), Quintana (1-4, R, 2 K) for the third and final out.
Having thrown just 34 pitches in earning the three-inning win against Sanford, Bandy still had plenty of fuel to burn and earned the win against Ignacio. He worked four hitless innings, walked three ’Cats, hit one and struck out seven.
“Hats off to Limon. They’ve got two incredible arms and they swing the bats; they’re unbelievable and well-coached,” Valdez said. “Best in the state, hands-down, and I think they’re probably going to go win it all.”
The Badgers will next face Buena Vista (17-6) at noon Friday on Hobbs Field at the Runyon Complex in Pueblo. The State Championship is set for June 1, at CSU Pueblo’s Rawlings Field.
