Del Angel, Cleveland offense ignites in opening day runaway versus Clovis

RIO RANCHO — New season, same Cleveland baseball.

And possibly, an even better Anthony Del Angel?

The University of Oklahoma commit started his senior season with a bang, going three-for-three with a home run, double and triple in Cleveland’s 10-4 opening day victory over Clovis High.

“It felt great being out there again with a fresh start,” Del Angel said. “I think the team was ready to get after it and have some fun. We're just looking to take that momentum moving forward.”

Del Angel’s first home run of the year came on the second pitch of the season, sending a towering shot over the Shock Yard batter’s eye to lead off the game for the Cleveland offense and ignite a double-digit debut for the 2026 offense.

The electric blue shortstop is coming off a New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year campaign in 2025. After being just a single short of the cycle in game one of 2026, he could be poised for another run at the Gatorade title, and maybe much more.

“At the plate, I was just trying to stay relaxed,” Del Angel said. “Staying confident and hitting the ball up the middle.

Cleveland’s 11-hit day included Anthony Tafoya joining Del Angel with a solo homer of his own, along with multi-hit days from Caleb Budagher, Benjamin Herman and Caleb Sandoval, with Sandoval putting the nail in the coffin with a two-RBI double.

Six different Storm hitters recorded hits, with eight of them reaching base. Cleveland worked six free passes via four walks and two hit-by-pitches in a less-than-desirable start to the season for the Wildcat pitching staff.

For Cleveland on the bump, Treven Polanco delivered 5 2/3 innings of work as the opening day starter, striking out nine and allowing four hits. 

With their offense and pitching clicking, the Storm’s defense was a tick behind. Polanco’s two runs given up, with only one being earned, came via errors and misplays in the field. One of those came from a pickoff attempt by Polanco over to first, skipping past the first baseman Noah Segura and allowing a Wildcat to score.

Cleveland would recover in the field, with Polanco and catcher Ben Herman both catching runners on the base paths for outs. Outside of the battery, the Storm did a solid job battling significant wind on balls in the air.

A defense needing a tune-up is a common sight in early-season baseball, but it is also something the Storm are looking to address across the rest of the weekend.

“Our goal is to clean up some errors on the field,” Del Angel said. “Play smarter moving forward in the weekend and season.”

After finishing their opening weekend tournament at home, the Storm will hit the road for a tournament at Hobbs High School on March 5-7.