PAGOSA SPRINGS – As impressed he might have been with his team’s offensive consistency, scoring at least one run in 10 of 11 innings on the road Saturday, Bayfield boss Bert Miller grinned when discussing the Wolverines’ pitching against an Intermountain League rival.
Specifically, senior Isaac Ross’ six-inning, one-hit, no-walk, 10-strikeout full pull concluding the day’s doubleheader.
Bulldozed along the first-base line by Pagosa Springs leadoff hitter Hunter Pouyer while attempting to catch Pouyer’s pop-up in foul territory, Ross rose to his feet and resumed work in the bottom of the fourth after Pouyer was ejected for a gesture when he was ruled out.
After surrendering a single two batters later to Kaison Clifford, who hustled to third after left fielder Andy Monger misplayed the scoop, Ross avoided giving up a run by getting Triston Iguchi to fly to center.
Ross then retired the Pirates in order in the fifth, and after Wolverine catcher Nic Twedt scored via a Ross single in the top of the sixth – giving the guests a 10-0 lead – Ross fanned 8-hole hitter Seth Aucoin, froze Aaron Aucoin, then got Pouyer replacement Cooper Ralston to pop foul to Twedt, who made the mercy-rule squeeze.
“It don’t matter what happens in between. (Isaac’s) a tough kid, and he’s going to give you all he’s got,” Miller said.
“It was good; everybody made their plays when they needed to,” said Ross (2-3, SAC-FLY, BB, R, 2 RBI). “But we struggle with coming out slow. We’ve got to come out in the first inning, put ’em away then. Not wait until the second or third.”
“We’ve just got to keep hitting,” said first baseman Noah Chamblee (2-4, 2B, FC, BB, R, 3 RBI). “Our pitchers are going to do their thing, so we’ve just got to keep hitting.”
Bayfield (11-4, 2-0 IML) did plenty of that in Game 1 on Strohecker Field.
Tied 1-1 with PSHS (6-9, 2-2) after BHS starter Jackson Queen and counterpart Rhead Kay both struggled with location, the Wolverines – who entered the contests ranked No. 9 in Class 3A – took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second, via a based-loaded walk to Ross, scoring Monger, and a Chamblee hit-by-pitch plating Twedt.
Pirate head coach Nathan Morales – who’d be ejected early in Game 2, for arguing BHS’ Caden Wood had left third base early to score on a Nic Twedt sacrifice fly – decided to pull Kay (L; 1.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, ER, 3 BB, K). And though Clifford managed to put out the fire, BHS began the fourth at the top of their order ready to get extra run support for a now-cruising Queen.
Get it they did, with right fielder Devin Avery’s one-out, bases-clearing triple – ending Clifford’s spell on the mound – highlighting a nine-run outburst. After new pitcher Braylon Cotts walked Monger, Twedt – who’d already walked to begin the onslaught – cranked a 2-RBI double and, after Austin Twedt flew out to deep center, scored via a Ross double.
Pagosa Springs interrupted Queen’s streak of nine consecutive hitters retired when Cotts knocked a two-out grounder. But Nic Twedt promptly threw out Cotts attempting to steal second to close out the frame.
“I did not think he was going to go,” said Ross, who caught the toss and applied the tag. “But when he was … we knew Nic had the arm to throw it there and canned him.”
Twedt (1-1, 3 BB, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI) eventually brought in Bayfield’s last Game 1 run with a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center, plating Lance Mazur.
Queen (W, CG; 5 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 8 K) polished off a 13-1 victory by striking out three Pirate pinch-hitters, Ralston included, in succession.
“I was opening my left foot a bit, and I was throwing outside – a lot – the first inning,” Queen said. “So I tried to straighten that out and it worked. I found the strike zone, and it was just good … smooth sailing.”
“We came out a little bit flat,” Miller said. “But our pitching was fantastic all day long, our bats came alive after probably two innings of the first game, and I thought we played well defensively – it was awesome.”
Ross finished Game 1 2-2 offensively with two walks, a run and three batted in. Chamblee was 2-2 with a walk, his HBP, a run and three RBIs, while Avery went 1-3 with a walk, run and three RBIs. He would, unfortunately, be lost to a right hamstring injury while running to third base in the fifth inning of Game 2.
“I’m very concerned about Devin; he’s a huge part of this club. So we’ll find out what happens with that,” Miller said.
“I think we should sweep the IML, win all games … if we keep playing like this,” Queen said. “They should be worried.”
“Sends a message to everybody else,” agreed Chamblee.
Bayfield will next host Montezuma-Cortez for a doubleheader at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
