In one dugout, Rio Rancho pondered four unearned runs it gave up and a couple of base-running blunders to boot.

In the other, Carlsbad reflected on its defensive missteps that nearly submarined its chances in one of the state’s best tournaments.

“Good teams,” Carlsbad third baseman Brandon Slate said, “find ways to win. And that’s what we did.”

The immensely interesting championship game of the Sal Puentes Invitational, which the Cavemen won 5-4 over the Rams on Saturday afternoon, was certainly chock-full of what-if scenarios on a day in which the crowd seemed to be buzzing more about Steve Alford than a matchup of arguably the top two teams in Class 5A.

For now, Carlsbad owns bragging rights.

“We weren’t as on as we usually are,” Caveman pitcher Caleb Prentiss said, “but when it came down to making the plays, we made them.”

Carlsbad (12-1) led most of the way, but Rio Rancho (13-2) had the potential tying run at second base in the bottom of the seventh with one out. Prentiss (5-0) induced two fly balls to end the game.

Carlsbad’s Brandon Slate, top, tags out Rio Rancho’s Nick Smith at third base during their championship game in Rio Rancho on Saturday. Slate had a key homer in the game. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)

Rio Rancho had scored runs in the fifth and sixth to cut a 5-2 deficit to 5-4.

“They’re such a good-hitting baseball team. There’s no safe lead against those guys,” Carlsbad coach Cody May said.

Marcus Martinez’s RBI single in the first staked the Rams to a 1-0 lead. Carlsbad answered with three runs in the second, a rally set up by a catcher’s interference call against Martinez. All three runs in that at-bat were unearned.

Carlsbad extended its lead to 4-1 on a Slate home run to left in the third inning; Rio Rancho added an unearned run in the bottom half. The Cavemen regained a three-run lead at 5-2 in the top of the fourth, but only because the Rams botched an easy double-play ball.

“These kids battled the whole way,” Rio Rancho coach Ron Murphy said. “We made some mistakes, but they never get down and never let up.”

There were a couple of base runners thrown out that came back to haunt the Rams, whose 10-game winning streak ended. A courtesy runner was caught between second and third base in the first inning on a ground ball, and another player was picked off first in the sixth.

A passed ball and wild pitch by Carlsbad set up single runs for the Rams in the fifth and sixth innings. Prentiss was hit hard by a line drive – very near his pitching (left) elbow in the second inning – but stayed in the game.

“It hurt,” he said, “but I couldn’t come out of this game. No way.”

For now, the Cavemen, Rams and Sandia, which plays host to Rio Rancho on Friday, have separated themselves in 5A.

Among those three, “I don’t know if there is anything that separates us,” Murphy said. “Right now, we’re that even.”
CARLSBAD 5, RIO RANCHO 4Sal Puentes Invitational – ChampionshipCarlsbad 031 100 0 – 5 7 2Rio Rancho 101 011 0 – 4 7 2Pitching: C, Caleb Prentiss and Zach Hinojos. RR, Eli Cappello, Wyatt Kelley (4) and Marcus Martinez. Win: Prentiss (5-0). Loss: Cappello (3-1). Leading hitters: C, Brandon Slate 2-4, HR; Austin Edwards 2-4. RR, Eddie Vasquez 2-3, 3B, 3R. Records: C 12-1; RR 13-2.Cavemen overcome RamsCarlsbad takes title in Puentes Invite

Prep Baseball
— This article appeared on page D7 of the Albuquerque Journal