Rams come from behind to win at Eldorado

ALBUQUERQUE — Rio Rancho High School senior Casen Savage showed he’s not Superman after all on Tuesday, when he not only went hitless but blew a save situation at Eldorado.

By game’s end — an 8-7 Rams victory — he had redeemed himself after he drove in the winning run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly and earned the victory on the mound.

It was an interesting non-district contest between the No. 2 Rams and the No. 9 Eagles (15-7), two schools with great diamond traditions.

The Eagles jumped on Rams starter Dean Ellison for four runs in the first inning, two of them unearned.

The Rams batted around in the third, scoring four runs on only one hit — Nick DiGregorio’s RBI single, helped along by four walks and a hit batter.

The game stayed knotted at four apiece until the sixth, when the Rams were again helped by two free passes to go with a wild pitch that made it 5-4 and an RIB single by Sean Vigil to make it 6-4.

Savage, who relieved Ellison after the southpaw gave up a single to start the bottom of the fifth, gave up an uncharacteristic three consecutive singles, the last a bunt single that was intended to be a sacrifice.

After Savage got a popup and a strikeout without a run being scored, Timothy Kamphuis emptied the bases with a double to left, and the Eagles had a 7-6 lead. Savage got the final out, leaving Kamphuis at second.

No problem. Ryan Lewis opened the seventh with a double and Bryson Martinez laid down a perfect bunt and reached first. Designated hitter Dylan Archuleta then walked and Kamphuis came in to relieve Kavan Salas.

His first pitch to Wyatt Tinker was wild — the Eagles’ sixth wild pitch of the afternoon — and Lewis crossed the plate to tie the game.

Tinker was then issued an intentional pass to, hopefully, leave the Eagles in position to get out of the frame with a double play.

Savage then drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly, and the Eagles then got their DP, only one batter too late.

Savage allowed a one-out single in the seventh before getting a fly out and a called strike three to end it.

DiGregorio led the Rams’ attack with three singles and a walk; five other players had a hit apiece.

“We were talking about it (before the game). Eldorado’s a real team,” Rams coach David Gomez said. “We didn’t take them lightly, obviously. We threw Ellison and went straight to Savage, so we took them for real. They gave us everything we could handle.”

EXTRA INNINGS: The Rams’ victory at Eldorado gave them a 20-win season for the fifth season in a row and the 15th time in school history. “What an honor,” Gomez commented.

… Cleveland scored at least two runs in each of the first four innings Tuesday afternoon to beat visiting Cibola, 10-3. Storm outfielders Brandon Hennessy and Silas Hilton each had two hits and two RBIs; lefty Xavier Vasquez earned the win with four scoreless innings of relief for starting pitcher Jaden Davis.

… The Storm can clinch at least second place in District 1-5A with a win Friday at Volcano Vista. The rams are at Cibola Friday. Both of those games start at 4 p.m.