Diego Rodriguez hits a big home run in the first inning scoring 3 runs. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Drew Watkins slides under the tag by Leonard Arevalo after stealing 3rd. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

By MIKE COTE
Sports
Los Alamos Daily Post

With a pair of big rallies, the Los Alamos Hilltopper baseball team picked up a pair of big wins over the Espanola Valley Sundevils.

Los Alamos pushed five runs across the plate in its final at-bat in game one of a doubleheader Saturday at Bomber Field to help seal a 10-0 victory. In game two, the Hilltoppers came up with seven runs in the second inning and cruised the rest of the way to take a 14-4 win over the Sundevils. 

The second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, played at Bomber Field, was broadcast on the Los Alamos Daily Post’s YouTube channel. 

In the second inning of the second game, Hilltopper catcher Jack Mooday hit a monstrous 3-run home run to straightaway center field, one of two extra-base hits he had in the contest. Later in the inning, left fielder Estevan Trujillo had a 2-run double to put his team up 10-0 at the time. 

Española Valley, which has struggled this season, winning just 3 games and going winless in 2-4A, got virtually nothing going on the offensive end the entire day until its final at-bat. 

In the top of the fifth, trying to stave off a 10-run mercy rule loss, the Sundevils scored three times, stringing together four hits, including an RBI double by Uriel Quintana. 

In game two, shortstop Diego Rodriguez went 3-for-4, coming up just a triple short of hitting for the cycle – he also hit a long 2-run home run in the first inning and had an RBI double in the second – while starting pitcher Zach Gonzales, who picked up the win on the mound, knocked in two runs with a base hit in the third inning. 

With the wins, Los Alamos (15-5 overall) swept the season series between the two teams. More importantly, Los Alamos can clinch the 2023 district title on Wednesday with a win over Pojoaque Valley, the only 2-4A team with a realistic chance of catching the Hilltoppers at the top of the standings. 

Wyatt Guffie hits a double in the 2nd inning. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Catcher Jack Mooday catches a pitch as Uriel Quintana takes a swing. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

Jack Mooday attempts to steal home but try as he might, Loren Vigil tagged him out in the 5th inning. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com