“Right now, it’s a waiting game,” Pagosa Springs High School Pirate baseball coach Ben Garcia said.
The team, ranked 29th in Colorado 3A baseball as of Wednesday morning with a 9-9 record, currently has no more regular-season games scheduled prior to the end of the regular season and the seeding of the 32-team playoff bracket, though Garcia expressed that he’s hoping that will change.
The team split the home doubleheader with the Bayfield Wolverines on May 3, dropping the first game 6-5 and winning the second 12-2.
“I thought we did really well ... from a combination of games,” Garcia said, adding he was pleased that the Pirates didn’t give up after the first game. “We had some mental mistakes.”
Garcia explained that mistakes with base running and fielding cost the team during the game, as did walks late in the game.
“We created, again, our own miscues and ... lack of opportunities by, again, putting traffic on the bases,” he said, adding, “Things like that happen, but I was pleased with us comin’ back.”
The Wolverines scored twice in the top of the first, then holding that 2-0 lead until the Pirates scored in the bottom of the third.
The Wolverines tacked on another run in the top of the fifth to move to a 3-1 lead, but the Pirates tied the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Bayfield brought around three runs in the top of the seventh.
The Pirates were able to bring around two runs in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to complete the walk-off win.
“We had runners in scoring position, had the winning run on base and just ... didn’t, unfortunately, come through as we needed to,” Garcia said.
The coach noted the Pirates had a number of opportunities throughout the game that contribute to the outcome of the game.
“It’s not that last play that happens, by far,” he said, adding a lot of the situations have been nemeses for the Pirates all year and caused them to extend innings and find themselves in jams. “I think they’re a very good ball club, but we have tendencies to make mistakes and they usually cost us. Somewhere along the line, they cost us.”
The Pirates picked up their five runs on six hits, five walks, hit batsmen and six Bayfield errors.
Sebastian Gonzalez logged two hits, reached on a fielder’s choice and picked up three RBIs.
Chris Young-Martinez also had two hits, which he complemented with a stolen base.
Cooper Ralston notched a hit, reached on an error and had one RBI.
Kyler Henderson had the other Pirate hit in the game.
While not logging hits, the Pirates had several other base runners in the game.
Taylor Wells reached on an error and scored a run. Ty Richie drew a walk and reached on an error. Zach Pouyer drew a walk and reached on errors twice, scoring two runs. Charles Washburn walked once, and Sean Ryan walked three times and scored a run.
Ralston threw a complete game for the Pirates, allowing six runs (two of which were earned) on five hits and five walks while striking out nine over seven innings.
“He pitched well enough to win, there’s no doubt,” Garcia said.
Pagosa committed three errors in the matchup.
The second half of the doubleheader went in favor of the Pirates.
“The second game, again, we came back and didn’t keep our heads down. We continued to hit the ball and we played great defense. ... Charles and Taylor had some absolutely great plays. Zach played amazing in center field. So, defensively, that’s the kind of game we’re capable [of],” Garcia said, adding the team was able to pair the defensive play with hitting and taking advantage of Bayfield’s mistakes. “If you continue the inning, good things’ll happen, and we proved that in the second game.”
The game, he added, “showed our true ability.”
Bayfield scored one in the top of the first, but the Pirates countered with three in the bottom of the first, two in the second, one in the third and another in the fourth to build a 7-1 lead before Bayfield’s second run came around in the fifth.
The Pirates then tacked on another two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to secure the 12-2 victory.
The Pirates’ 12 runs came around on 11 hits, eight walks, one hit batter and six Bayfield errors.
Pouyer led the Pirates with three hits in the game. He also drew a walk, scored three runs, notched an RBI and stole a base.
Wells had two hits, a walk, an RBI and a stolen base. Ralston had two hits and a run scored. Washburn had two hits, a walk, two runs scored and an RBI.
Henderson had a hit, two walks, reached on an error, scored three runs and notched an RBI. Young-Martinez had a hit, reached on an error, scored a run, had two RBIs and stole three bases.
Gonzalez, who walked and reached on an error, also had an RBI and scored a run. Kaeden Iguchi also scored a run, Ryan reached on an error, and Medina drew a walk.
Young-Martinez pitched five innings for the Pirates, with Wells pitching one. The pair combined to allow two runs, one of which was earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out two.
“Chris ... has pitched really well the last three games,” Garcia highlighted. “He has command, he throws hard, he keeps batters off-balance, and the defense can play behind him. Chris is a very formidable pitcher at this level, he really is. He’s one of the best, there’s no doubt it my mind.”
He added that having the Pirates’ pitching come into better focus at the end of the regular season is a big plus.
The Pirates committed one error in the matchup.
Tuesday’s doubleheader against the 2A Ignacio Bobcats was canceled due to inclement weather.
Garcia explained the school knew it would run into issues with weather, but was unable to reschedule the game for a different time.
“We needed those games,” Garcia said.
Garcia explained they’re now working to find another school that may have also had cancellations and need to get a game in.
He noted May 13 is the final day regular-season games can be scheduled.
“Now the key is to keep ‘em motivated with the possibility or the potential to play postseason,” the coach said. “If we don’t play, and that’s the hard part is, not playing since last Saturday, you have two weeks before you possibly would play again, and that’s difficult.”
He added he hopes to get a game in in the next week to continue the team’s momentum, but otherwise it’s a waiting game to see if they’ll be able to play or move up in the rankings based on the play of other teams, such as Bayfield, Centauri and Alamosa.
randi@pagosasun.com
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