Storm loses a thriller in Puentes Invite

Cleveland’s Nathan Blotter stretches for a catch while Carlsbad’s Devin Groves slides into second base. Groves was out on the play. The Storm lost 3-1. (Pat Vasquez-Cunningham/Journal)

The Cleveland Storm won’t be playing in today’s championship game of the Sal Puentes Invitational, but don’t put that on Storm pitcher Royce Cleveland.

Cleveland, the son of the Rio Rancho Public Schools Superintendant Sue Cleveland, limited what might be the state’s best baseball team to seven hits and three runs Friday afternoon.

“He pitched a great game,” Cleveland coach Shane Shallenberger said. “A fantastic game.”

Cleveland, a 5-foot-5, 135-pound junior, was superb.

Unfortunately, he was outpitched — ever so slightly — by Carlsbad’s Kain Fierro, who combined with reliever Caleb Prentiss on a four-hitter in the Cavemen’s 3-1 win at Rio Rancho in the Puentes semifinals.

“Anytime you give up three runs to the No. 1 team in the state, they’re doing a great job,” Shallenberger said.

Cleveland (2-2) really only made one terrible pitch, but he paid the maximum price.

Carlsbad’s Austin Edwards crushed a meaty fastball over the left-center field fence for a two-run home run in the third inning, and that was really the difference.

Carlsbad added an insurance run in the seventh, with the help of two infield singles, an error and a sacrifice.

The Storm could not do much with Fierro, at least most of the order couldn’t.

Leadoff batter Kevin Kilcommons had three of Cleveland’s four hits, and scored the Storm’s only run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Ish Montoya was at first base when Kyle Anderson pounded a Fierro fastball to left. It was a bad break for Cleveland that the ball one-hopped over the fence for a ground-rule double; otherwise Montoya would have scored to make it 3-2.

Instead, there were runners at second and third with two outs. The Cavemen turned to their ace, Prentiss, who promptly struck out pinch hitter Jorge Guzman on four pitches to end the game and send Carlsbad to today’s 11:30 a.m. championship game against Rio Rancho.

“That kid Fierro threw well, and he kept us off balance,” Shallenberger said. “We’re still trying to figure some things out, lineup-wise and position-wise, but today our energy was fantastic for seven innings.”

The Storm (7-5) face La Cueva (6-3) for third place at 9 a.m. today.

♦ Rio Rancho slipped past the Bears 3-2 in Friday’s first semifinal.

Brendan Wanchek (3-1) pitched a complete game for the Rams.

“I thought his control was on and off, and he labored a little bit, but I thought he hung in there and battled the whole game and did a great job finishing,” Rio Rancho coach Ron Murphy said.

La Cueva had base runners in every inning but one. Wanchek pitched out of trouble on several occasions, and his defense got him out of another potential mess.

That included a huge throw from right fielder Vic Chavez to the plate to cut down the go-ahead run in a 2-2 game in the fourth inning.

“The defense was great today,” Wanchek said. “Vic has the best arm in the state, by far, for an outfielder.”

Chavez caught a fly ball and nabbed a La Cueva player trying to tag from third base in the top of the fourth inning. At the high school level, that play is successful about one time out of 20.

“Every time I see a runner on third, I hope for that play and it happened,” said Chavez, a junior.

Murphy quickly thought back to a similar play in the 2009 state championship game against La Cueva, when a Ram outfielder threw out a Bear runner trying to score on a sacrifice fly.

Rio Rancho sophomore Angelo Lujan, a newcomer to the varsity, had a two-run single for the Rams in their win. He just got promoted earlier this week.

“Once I got that hit,” Lujan said, “all the nerves went away.” He later added another hit in the game.

“Our young kids,” Murphy said, “are very confident. I think that’s what makes them so good. They come up because they’re able to compete against good teams.”

Basketball

Bernalillo senior shooting guard Brandon Saiz was voted to the Class 4A All-State first team for the 2012-13 season on Thursday.

Saiz was the Spartans’ leading scorer.

Track and Field

Cleveland’s boys and girls are hosting the fourth annual Storm Relays, which begin this morning at the football/track stadium.

Some of the state’s best track programs join the Storm for the event — Los Alamos, Albuquerque Academy, Pojoaque, Hope Christian, La Cueva, Volcano Vista, West Mesa and Albuquerque High.

Except for the 100-meter dash, which is open, the other events will be scored based on total team performance.
— This article appeared on page 30 of the Albuquerque Journal