Cleveland baseball wins crazy thriller against Volcano Vista

RIO RANCHO – The first hour? Clean, largely uneventful. The second hour? This game began to stretch its legs. The third hour? Unpredictable, crazy, all over the map, and eventually a thrilling finish.

District 1-5A baseball frequently leads to some of the most compelling prep baseball in April, and so it was Friday afternoon in a matchup between No. 3 Cleveland and No. 9 Volcano Vista — a game that twisted and turned like a master contortionist before the Storm finally walked it off with two runs in the bottom of the seventh for a bonkers 8-7 victory.

Peyton Noel earned a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded for Cleveland to score Caleb Sandoval and win it for Cleveland.

“It was definitely a game we needed to have,” Cleveland coach Shane Shallenberger said.

Cleveland (14-6, 3-1) kept its second-place position behind Rio Rancho (16-4, 4-0), which beat Piedra Vista 3-1 on Friday. The Storm’s rally avoided an 0-2 week after a 4-1 upset loss in Farmington to Piedra Vista on Tuesday.

“It was definitely a must-win for us,” said senior right fielder Gunner Carey, who drove in a run, scored a run and saved a run in the top of the third with a terrific diving catch. “We’re trying to win district, so this was definitely a must-win.”

A young Volcano Vista group bounced off the deck from a four-run deficit in the fifth (5-1), and even took a 7-6 lead with three runs in the top of the seventh. A bases-loaded walk cut a Cleveland lead to 6-5, and moments later Aaron Sanchez bounced a two-run RBI single to center, and the Hawks had their first lead of the day at 7-6.

But as the Hawks (12-8, 2-2) walked off Farmington on Tuesday, they were walked off three days later by the Storm.

With one out, Josiah Armijo singled to right-center for Cleveland. Sandoval with two strikes singled to left. Owen Bishop followed with a single of his own to left, scoring Armijo to tie the game 7-all.

Two batters later, Gabe Nelson walked to load the bases. Then Noel drew his walk off sophomore Volcano Vista reliever Cash Tweedy.

“This district is the hardest district in the state,” Carey said. “We just wake up and grind and let our work pay off on the field.”

There were, Hawks coach Scott Brandt said, a couple of positive takeaways, not the least of which was watching his young team overcame a four-run deficit and come all the way back to lead in the seventh.

“It is disappointing,” he said, “but we’re ascending. We’re competing and we’re learning how to play. We start mostly freshmen and sophomores and you’re gonna learn to take the good with the bad.”

In Cleveland’s four-run fourth, which broke a 1-1 tie, the Storm scored a run on a wild pitch, one on a balk (on the very next pitching attempt), and Cleveland scored two additional runs when the Volcano right fielder lost a two-out fly ball in the sun. One run scored on that triple, and Cleveland added another run on a second triple from Anthony del Angel.

Volcano Vista scored three in the fifth to make it 5-4; the Storm scored another run on a wild pitch to make it 6-4 going to the seventh.

Cleveland has another crucial league matchup Tuesday against Rio Rancho.

“It’s a war every game you play in this district,” Shallenberger said. “As long as we can hang in there and have a chance at the end, that’s what it’s about.”