A split week for Storm baseball team

RIO RANCHO — Friday turned out to be a great day for a walk: 84 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze.

The Cleveland High School baseball team “went” for 13 walks that day, thanks to a trio of Volcano Vista pitchers having trouble finding the plate. Peyton Noel was the final Storm player to be issued a free pass, and it came with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh.

Storm 8, Volcano Vista 7Neither team had standout pitching — Cleveland’s quartet of pitchers on Friday, April 11, issued four walks of their own, including two in the seventh, when the Hawks (12-8, 2-2) scored three times to grab a short-lived 7-6 lead.

Junior Anthony Tafoya was summoned to the mound with Hawks at first and second with only one down; he induced a line drive turned into a double play to end the really.

After Gunner Carey grounded out to begin the “last call” for the Storm ((14-6, 3-1), Caleb Sandoval and Owen Bishop each singled, but slugger Anthony Del Angel flew out to center.

No problem: Gabe Nelson walked to load the bases, and Noel had no choice but to let an ankle-high pitch be called for ball four and the end of the game.

“We got it done, so that was tough,” coach Shane Shallenberger said. “I was just trying to keep these guys staying in the game and trying to find a way to win a game.”

The game had been tied at 1 as the Storm batted in the bottom of the fourth, when they had another one-out rally. Then the designated hitter, Tafoya, walked and Carey singled. Josiah Armijo grounded out, putting runners at second and third. A wild pitch plated Tafoya and sent Carey to third; Carey then made it 3-1 on a balk.

Cleveland wasn’t done scoring, though. Sandoval singled and scored on triple by Owen Bishop, and Bishop scored on a three-bagger by Del Angel. A pitching change resulted in the final out, off a comebacker by Nelson.

After the Hawks closed to 5-4 with three runs in the fifth off Noel, the Storm added a potential insurance run in the sixth, thanks to three walks and a wild pitch that allowed Del Angel to race home.

Treven Polanco worked the scoreless sixth, but was replaced by Tafoya after giving up three runs in the fateful seventh.

Piedra Vista 4, Storm 1Cleveland saw its five-game winning streak end in the Four Corners despite out-hitting the Panthers 8-4.

The contest was scoreless through five innings. The Panthers took advantage of an outfield error to prolong their at-bats in the sixth and came up with four unearned runs off Xavier Vasquez.

Nelson was 3 for 3 and walked to lead the offense, scoring his team’s only run after singling to start the seventh and plating on a two-out single by Larry Garcia. Jarren Villa added two hits. (Villa started for the Storm Friday but departed after two innings after not feeling 100%.)

Extra inningsThe Storm (before their game Tuesday with visiting Rio Rancho), are home Friday, April 18, to meet Cibola, and home again next week, with games Tuesday and Friday vs., respectively, Farmington and Piedra Vista.

… Bishop, the team’s senior catcher, recently made a verbal commitment to Trinidad (Colorado) State College. Villa, a pitcher and infielder, has committed to Pima Community College near Tucson, where former Rio Rancho High School standouts Seth Lee and Kai Fitak are in their sophomore seasons, and where CHS alum Antonio Avila played in the 2023 and ’24 seasons.

… Malachi Jaramillo, a member of the CHS Class of 2024, has been enjoying his freshman season at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, although he’s seen action in only two games, expecting more after a thumb injury heals. The SEU Fire won 32 of their 38 games as of April 5, and are 27-2 in home games.