Storm rally to beat Eldorado, 13-12 Mental error costs Eagles in seventh

A mental mistake by an Eldorado infielder let the winning run score for the Cleveland Storm Tuesday afternoon, a 13-12 non-district victory.

The Storm (9-5), best described by head coach Shane Shallenberger as “scrappy,” were just that on a very windy afternoon, when every fly ball was an adventure.

Eldorado (4-6) had never trailed in the game until that fateful decision.

Taking a 12-11 lead into the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles wisely opted to walk first baseman Scott Ostrowsky, already 4 for 4 in the game, with first base open and one down, hoping for a game-ending double play.

But Josh Hinman singled, tying the game and leaving the sacks full.

Kyle Anderson, who made a diving, “web-gem” of a catch in right field that he turned into a sixth-inning-ending double play, slapped a grounder to the third baseman. The ball wasn’t hit sharply enough for a 5-3 double play, but instead of throwing home for a forceout, the Eagle stepped on third to get the second out and then threw too late to his catcher, who was unable to make the required tag of Josh Casillas, who scored the winning run.

Until then, it looked like extra innings would be needed.

Eldorado, scored four runs in its first at-bats, but the Storm countered with three in the bottom of the first, one on a single by Chris Foster and two on Ostrowsky’s home run off the scoreboard in right-center.

After two were down in the second, Marcos Travers singled and scored the tying run on a single by Nathan Blotter.

Eldorado scored twice in the third off reliever Kyle Bilbo, called on to replace starter Brandon Paboucek in the second inning, and made it 7-4 with a solo run in the fourth.

The Storm put another crooked number, a 3, on the board in their at-bats in the fourth. Travers walked to start the rally and, two outs later, successive singles by Foster, Casillas and Ostrowsky tied it again.

Eldorado pushed across two unearned runs in the fifth before the Storm’s third of four pitchers, Royce Cleveland, got a groundout to quell that outburst.

The Storm used back-to-back doubles by Ish Montoya and Travers to make it 9-8, and, after the Eagles scored twice in the sixth, put another 3 on the board.

This time, two of the three CHS runs were unearned, as Ostrowsky accounted for another RBI with a single and he later tied the game at 11 on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Montoya.

Casillas wound up the winning pitcher despite yielding two runs, aided by a hit batsman and a walk, in the sixth and another hit batsman, followed by a triple, in the seventh.

Anderson’s impressive play helped thwart the Eagles in the sixth, after he dove and then had the presence of mind to double up a runner at first.

Blotter walked to start the Storm’s final comeback of the day, but was retired at second when Foster hit into a fielder’s choice. Casillas then forced Foster at second — a throwing error kept his hard-hit grounder from being a double play or he would have been out at first — before stealing second base.

That’s when Ostrowsky was walked, setting the stage for Hinman’s RBI single to right and the grounder to third hit by Anderson.

The Eagles normally don’t make costly mental errors, but coach Jim Johns, with only four seniors on the roster, has a young squad this season and thus the reason for the misplay and the team’s losing record.

Extra innings: Rio Rancho Public Schools Athletic Director Bruce Carver said Cleveland’s baseball stadium will be getting lights in time for the Storm to play three night games this season, and the state baseball tournament will be able to have evening games there, too. That’s good, because Isotopes Park will be the sight of just two state championship games in May: classes 2A and 5A.

… Cleveland played host to Valley Saturday morning; see the April 10 Observer for a story on that game. The Storm are home Tuesday at 4 to face La Cueva, and then at Sandia Thursday at 4 to face the Matadors.