Hope denies Portales baseball sweep

ALBUQUERQUE — It was a strong weekend for Portales baseball, following a 10-day layoff. The Rams had the tall task of traveling to district rival Hope Christian — 4A's No. 1 team, but managed to show why they are the defending state champs, taking two out of three from the Huskies.

Portales (10-7, 5-1) swept both games of Friday's doubleheader, 13-3 and 2-0 respectively, before falling, 13-10, on Saturday.

"The wind was blowing like crazy and our guys did a good job of being mentally ready, and we got good pitching from Josiah Lucero and Jordan Garcia," Rams coach Dusty Nusser said of the doubleheader sweep on Friday.

Portales scored nine runs in Game 1 on Friday, and managed to score 13 for the game despite just five hits. The Rams drew five walks against four Hope (14-6, 4-2) pitchers, while the Huskies committed six errors in the game.

Lucero, on the other hand, went the distance, striking out five and allowing just six hits. Lucero also went 2-for-5 at the dish with an RBI to help his own cause.

Game 2 turned into a pitcher's duel, as the two sides combined for just six hits. Garcia allowed just one hit, which turned out to be a pop-up that was lost in the infield.

"We got a walk, then a passed ball, then (Hope) had an error on a bunt," Nusser said of the top of the eighth inning, which produced the game's only runs in a 2-0 win. "Lucero drove in the first RBI and Luciano Rodriguez had the second. Jordan did a good job of throwing strikes."

Saturday's rubber match became quite the shootout, as Portales scored three runs in the first, four in the second, and one in the third. Hope, however, countered with three in the first, one in the second and six in the third to take a 10-8 lead.

Both teams went through a total of eight pitchers, including five by Portales. The Rams gave up 12 walks, as the wind blew straight out.

Nonetheless, Friday and Saturday's series proved to be a huge momentum builder for Portales, who is quickly finding its groove in the latter part of the regular season.

"This whole weekend was good for us," Nusser explained. "We're really happy with the progression we're on right now."

Softball claims sweep — The Portales softball team, which had struggled with a 3-9 record coming into the District 4-4A season, had little problem Saturday with 15-0 and 24-5 victories at Moriarty.

Micaela Garcia went 5-for-6 with seven RBIs in the sweep, and Wendy Baeza pitched a one-hitter in the opening three-inning win.

Alexis Garcia pitched an inning of relief in the nightcap, which saw Portales club 15 of its 28 total hits.

Nicole Laurenz went 6-for-8 with three RBIs, while Shelbi Walker was 4-for-7.