For all intents and purposes, the coronation for Eunice’s state record 18th blue trophy probably began during a marathon second inning that sucked the life out of underdog Capitan.
During that frame, the Cardinals batted around twice while sending 20 men to plate in a 15-run outburst that effectively ended any hopes of a Tigers upset. The rest was merely a formality, as top-seeded Eunice (26-1) cruised to 21-3 mercy-rule shortened victory over No. 3 Capitan (15-7) on Saturday in the Class 2A title game at Santa Ana Star Field.
“We’ve been bottled the first two games of the tournament. We didn’t play up to our potential. We knew that we were capable of having big innings,” said Eunice coach Drew Reynolds. “And heck, that was one of the biggest ones I’ve been a part of in my 14 years. I’m just proud of them.”
The Cardinals spotted Capitan a run in the top of the first before going up 2-1 in the bottom of the frame. The rout was on shortly thereafter. Eight of the nine Eunice starters reached base and scored in the bottom of the second against three Capitan pitchers, and the Tigers didn’t help their own cause with six walks and an error. But the highlight of the inning was undoubtedly senior center fielder Micah Tippett’s inside-the-park grand slam.
“We knew coming into this game that we were the favorites, and we just had to put the bat on the ball and we’d win the game,” Tippett said. “When we started hitting that rally, it just kept going up from there and everybody on board was hitting the ball. We just kept scoring. It was fun.”
The championship ends a relative drought for Eunice, which fell to Texico in the final last year and hadn’t taken home a blue trophy since 2015. The Cardinals’ record total of 18 titles is four ahead of second-place Farmington (14) for most in New Mexico history.
“Being in a rich tradition like that just means everything for us. You always want a part of it,” Reynolds said. “You grow up in Eunice, you want to be a part of that tradition. We have it painted on our fence. We talk about it all the time, the guys that paved the way for us. What a great feeling it is to be a part of that.”
CLASS 1A: No. 2 seed Logan routed top seed Gateway Christian 11-4 in Saturday’s first game at Santa Ana Star Field.
NO. 1 EUNICE 21, NO. 3 CAPITAN 3
Capitan 100 02 — 3 4 4
Eunice 2(15)0 4x— 21 15 2
Pitching: C, Johnathan Ledesma, Logan Ritter (2), Jaden Peralta (2), Diego Gallegos (4) and Gallegos; E, Benton and Pierce. Leading Hitters: C, Caleb Keyser 1-2, 2B; Anthony Rogers 1-2, HR, 2RBI; Phillip Garcia 1-3, RBI; E, Micah Tippett 1-3, HR, 4RBI, 2R; Jorge Ontiveros 2-2, RBI, 2R; Chance Tucker 1-1, 2B, 2RBI, 2R; Conagher Pierce 1-1, 2RBI, R; Zeke Benton 3-4, 3B, 2-2B, 4RBI. Rec: E 26-1, C 15-7.
