Rams, Wildcats split at Bell Park

Daniel Zapata was working efficiently for Portales through five innings on Saturday — only 42 pitches.

Good thing, too. The senior left-hander needed 45 tosses over the final two frames to finish off his first complete game of the season, an 8-6 victory over Clovis High to give the Rams a doubleheader split at Bell Park.

CMI photo: Tony Bullocks

Portales senior River Fine makes the throw from third to first for the out in the bottom of the third inning in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Clovis at Bell Park.

The Wildcats used a nine-run fourth to take the opener 10-7.

Trailing 8-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Clovis (7-7) struck against Zapata with a leadoff infield single by Matt Lanier, Peyton Lott's two-run homer and a double by Alfonso Rivas. Zapata regrouped to get a fly ball and a groundout, moving Rivas around to score, then retired Jordan Holguin on a pop-up to shortstop after an error brought the tying run to the plate.

"I threw pretty good," said Zapata, who struck out just one but issued only two walks. "We came out ready to play (in the second game).

"We just kind of had to pull together. It was another game."

Clovis struggled on defense the whole day, committing 10 errors, including six in the nightcap. There were a handful of other plays that weren't made.

"To say we struggled on defense is an understatement," Cats coach Shane Leatherwood said.

Center fielder Darin Bonem and right fielder Jacob Salgado each drove in a pair of runs for the Rams, who scored twice in the top of the second and never relinquished the lead.

Zapata finished with a seven-hitter after allowing only two hits through five innings.

"Strikeouts are good," he said. "(But) I just try and let my teammates make the plays."

Portales coach Arturo Ontiveros said he probably would have pulled Zapata had the Cats gotten one more baserunner.

"At the end, he started leaving the ball up a little bit," Ontiveros said. "But he kept them off-balance for the most part, and early he kept his pitch count down.

CMI photo: Tony Bullocks

Clovis junior pitcher Andres Tapia makes a second-inning delivery in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader at Bell Park.

"Coming back and getting that one (after losing the opener) was huge."

The bottom of the order also got the Cats off the deck in the first game after they fell behind 5-1.

Rivas, who had two hits in each game out of the No. 9 hole, hit a three-run double in the fourth after the first three hitters singled, pulling CHS to 5-4. Later, Holguin hit a two-run single and Austin Adams added a two-run double.

Adams and Antonio Hicks, batting sixth and seventh, each had two hits in the inning.

"I think it's been the bottom of the order that's started a lot of our rallies lately," Leatherwood said. "I've kept moving the bottom of the order to the top, but you never know where the hits are coming from."

The bottom four in the lineup combined to go 9-for-19 in the opener, with two doubles, six runs scored and seven RBIs.

Senior right-hander Joe Shelley earned the win with four innings in relief of starter Andres Tapia. Jarret Faust had a two-run single for the Rams, while third baseman River Fine drove in a pair of runs with a groundball and a sacrifice fly.

Leatherwood said his team is capable of big things, but simply hasn't jelled — either offensively or defensively.

"We're just having a hard time putting our hits together," he said. "Honestly, I think all my pitchers threw well today, but we're constantly under duress."

Freshman right-hander Grant Wagner kept the Rams in the hunt in the opener, tossing 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.