Texico advances, Melrose upsets Floyd

RIO RANCHO — Ninth-seeded Tularosa wasn’t going down without a fight, but eventually the top-seeded Texico Wolverines handled business with an 11-2 win Wednesday in the Class 3A baseball quarterfinals.

Luke Phipps went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and seven other players had hits for the defending champion Wolverines (23-3), who won their fifth straight.

“We had some timely hits, and a lot of runs spread out,” Texico coach Ty Thatcher said. “(Tularosa) came out with a lot of energy. They played well, scored two in the first. They stranded one more runner after that. Luckily, we responded (with a four-run first, including a two-run single from Ben Crist).”

Texico plays Raton in a 4 p.m. semifinal today, also at Cleveland High School. The fourth-seeded Tigers — who held No. 12 McCurdy to just one hit in a 9-0 win — accounted for the Wolverines’ only in-class loss, when they took the nightcap in an April 1 twinbill 1-0 at Texico.

Sophomore Dalton Thatcher will get the nod in the semifinal, and the best available pitcher would start should Texico reach the noon Friday title game at Isotopes Park.

The Wolverines have so far outscored their tournament opponents 27-2.

Melrose 13, Floyd 2 — A tough regular season, and a No. 7 seed, seemed to indicate a baseball title three-peat wasn’t in the cards for the Melrose Buffaloes in Class A-2A.

Just don’t tell that to Melrose. The Buffaloes are now two wins away from pulling off the feat after a 13-2 quarterfinal shocker over district rival and second-seeded Floyd Wednesday at Rio Rancho High School.

Devin Bailey pitched a three-hitter for the Buffaloes (11-8-1), and both Sterling Sena and Blake DeVaney had three-hit games to help Melrose pull the win.

“We didn’t expect to run-rule them; that was pretty impressive,” Melrose coach Caleb King said. “(Bailey) was able to maintain his composure, and we got some timely hits. It wasn’t the 3 and 4 guys, though; other guys stepped up and got hits.”

Floyd (17-5) had won all three of its prior matchups from the Buffaloes, outscoring them 39-16. Those wins kickstarted a 13-game winning streak that came to a close Wednesday.

“We’re in a tough district, with five teams in the top 10 all year,” King said. “A lot of people aren’t expecting the kids to win; that motivates them.”

Melrose moves on to a 10 a.m. semifinal with sixth-seeded Mesilla Valley Christian at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. The Son Blazers also pulled an upset, shutting out No. 3 Gateway Christian 4-0.

The winner moves on to the A-2A state championship game on Friday at 9 a.m. at Isotopes Park.