Disputed call helps Bears

La Cueva scores 6 runs in 5th to beat Piedra Vista

La Cueva scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth — aided by a controversial catcher’s interference call — and the Bears went on to beat defending Class 4A state champion Piedra Vista 9-6 on Saturday afternoon.

“We’ve been looking for a win over a good team for a while,” said La Cueva junior third baseman Jeff Deimling, who had three of the Bears’ 13 hits. “That’s a very good team.”

While Piedra Vista (10-7) played Friday afternoon against Carlsbad and Saturday morning against Rio Grande, the Bears (9-4) hadn’t played since Thursday.

“I don’t care about the fatigue and all that garbage,” Piedra Vista coach Mike McGaha said. His team has lost five straight games, including two last weekend at a tournament in Phoenix.

McGaha did, however, later admit that a tense, low-scoring battle with Carlsbad on Friday — in which all the runs were scored in the seventh inning in a 6-2 victory for the Cavemen — sapped some of the Panthers’ emotional strength.

“But,” he quickly added, “we’re not the same team that we were (last year).”

The Panthers led La Cueva 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth. La Cueva sent 10 batters to the plate to take a 9-5 lead. Andrew Pratt delivered the crucial hit, a two-run double down the left-field line, plating Deimling and Tanner Wade for a 6-5 lead.

The catcher’s interference call on Zach Ahlgrim allowed the Bears to add two unearned runs at the end of the rally.

“I thought it was a no-brainer,” La Cueva coach Gerard Pineda said.

“Wrong,” insisted McGaha.

VOLCANO VISTA 6, CARLSBAD 1: At Eldorado, senior right-hander Andre Vigil pitched a complete-game four-hitter with eight strikeouts, and also smacked an RBI double.

Vigil is one of New Mexico’s most gifted talents, so the UNM recruit’s contributions were par for the course.

It was an unexpected swing from seldom-used senior designated hitter Jacob Valdez that gave the surging Hawks breathing room.

He cleared the bases with a double down the right-field line in the fourth inning, staking the Hawks (8-6) and Vigil (3-1) to a 5-0 lead over the defending Class 5A state champions, who fell to 13-2.

It was Valdez’s first hit of the season.

RIO GRANDE 11, PIEDRA VISTA 10: At La Cueva, the Ravens had to hold off the fast-charging Panthers in the game that preceded PV-La Cueva.

Othon DeLaCruz went the distance for the Ravens (10-4), striking out 10.

Piedra Vista had the potential tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second in the top of the seventh when Jeremy Johnson popped out to second to end the game.

Rio Grande won despite six errors. But outfielder Matt Valdez threw a Panther runner out at the plate in the seventh to help preserve the win for the Ravens.

DISTRICT 5-5A: Districts 1-5A, 2-5A and 5-4A won’t begin league play until the week of April 16, but 5-5A gets under way Wednesday with Atrisco Heritage at Valley, Rio Grande at West Mesa and Highland facing Albuquerque High.
— This article appeared on page D7 of the Albuquerque Journal