Storm baseball is work in progress

Cleveland’s 5-3 record to start the 2013 high school baseball season could be interpreted as a disappointment, but only to a cynic.

After the Storm ripped Albuquerque High 10-0 on Tuesday in the consolation bracket of the Albuquerque Metro Championship, Cleveland was roughly one-third of the way through its schedule.

But all three of the Storm’s losses — Farmington, Hobbs, Valley — are by a single run.

“It’s a learning experience,” Cleveland coach Shane Shallenberger said. “We were senior loaded last year, so every game we’re just trying to take something out of it and progressively get better. And you know, I think we’re slowly learning that.”

Brandon Paboucek threw a 1-hitter Tuesday against AHS, striking out four in the five-inning victory.

Kyle Anderson had two hits and an RBI, including a triple. Jorge Guzman was 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs and also walked twice. Cleveland scored all its runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

It was a solid win after a tough 7-6 loss to Valley on Monday in the tournament’s very windy opening round.

The Vikings did most of their damage in the top of the fourth, with five runs. Cleveland was hurt by walks and a key defensive mistake, as well.

“We had a couple of chances to make a play and we didn’t come through. It got away from us,” Shallenberger said.

Josh Casillas went 3-for-4 and Chris Foster 2-for-4 for the Storm in the Valley loss. Foster and Casillas are two of the returning three mainstays on this team, along with Kevin Kilcommons.

♦ Cleveland went 2-1 at a recent tournament in Artesia.

After falling 3-2 to Hobbs in the opener, Cleveland downed the host Bulldogs 7-2 and then beat Farmington 8-6 in the fifth-place game.

Foster and pitcher Royce Cleveland both were named to the Artesia All-Tournament team.

The Storm also downed Valencia 3-1 last week.

Cleveland faces West Mesa today in the metro consolation bracket, and the Storm will close out its week with another game Friday.

Next week, Cleveland is at Rio Rancho’s Sal Puentes Invitational.
— This article appeared on page 21 of the Albuquerque Journal