Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Portales had plenty of pitching in Tuesday’s doubleheader, but Clovis had enough patience to come out with a split.
The sister cities split a summer league doubleheader at Bell Park, with the visiting Rams claiming an 8-3 win in the opener and Clovis taking an 11-1 win in six innings in the nightcap.
Phillip Danbom, forced to play junior varsity for the Rams after transferring from Dora midway through the 2005-06 school year, held the host Wildcats to one run through the first six innings, then ran into a little trouble in the seventh before finishing Clovis off.
“We made a few errors (behind Danbom in the seventh),” Portales coach Dusty Nusser said. “He threw really really well.”
The Wildcats transferred that seventh-inning momentum, scoring two runs in each of the nightcap’s two innings to open up a 4-1 cushion.
Clovis coach Shane Leatherwood said the Wildcats were patient in the second game, drawing 10 walks against the Portales pitching trio of Mario Salazar, Brandon Adkins and Sammy Hightower.
“They had a better approach at the plate,” Leatherwood said. “The kids played with intensity (in the second game).”
Nusser thought Salazar pitched well, considering he got home to Portales at 5 a.m. after a family function in Houston.
Emory Sierra led the way on the mound in the second game, striking out six and allowing just one run in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Johnson Ware (1-for-2) and Parker Wood (1-for-3) each had RBI triples for the Wildcats, who host Hobbs Thursday in a 3 p.m. doubleheader.
The Rams host Tucumcari tonight in a 5 p.m. doubleheader.
