Rams gain split of doubleheader against Tigers

RATON — Portales High’s baseball team rebounded from a 13-9 first-game loss to thump Raton 15-3 in five innings in the back end of a doubleheader on Monday.

Senior Hagen Rains went 2-for-2 with three runs scored in the opener, and added a three-run double in the Rams’ seven-run fifth which put the nightcap out of reach.

PHS (2-1) cut an early 5-0 deficit to 5-4 in the opener before the Tigers scored eight times in the bottom of the fifth. Portales made it a little more interesting with five in the seventh.

The Rams outhit Raton 12-9, getting 3-for-4 outings from senior Alex Garcia and sophomore Noah Swift. Garcia had two triples and scored three times.

Senior G.B. Oliver went 3-for-4 for the Tigers (2-2), while senior Matthew Quartieri was 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs and senior Dylan Quartieri finished 2-for-3 with a triple.

In Game 2, the Rams scored four times in the top of the first and never looked back.

Sophomore Layton Faust was 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI, while sophomore Andru Ontiveros was 2-for-3 with an RBI and eighth-grader Carson Pfaffenberger delivered a two-run single in the fifth. Sophomore Edel Legarda drove in two runs with a pair of ground balls.

Junior Trevan Price and sophomore Zane Mayberry each went two innings for the Rams, while Rains finished up in the fifth. Dylan Quartieri went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Raton.

The Rams will be in a three-day tournament this weekend at St. Michael’s, facing the host Horsemen in their 4 p.m. opener on Thursday.

Clovis 12, Moriarty 1 (Saturday) — The Wildcats jumped on Moriarty early and cruised to a five-inning win on the 10-run rule in the finale of a weekend tournament hosted by Roswell High.

Sophomore Will Jordan allowed three hits with 10 strikeouts over five innings, and also finished 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored as the Cats (2-4) split the two games they played in the event.

“The kids came out today and played with a little bit of excitement,” CHS coach Richard Cruce said. “It was fun to watch them compete and be the (team) we think they’re going to be as the year moves forward.”

Clovis scored five runs in the first, two in the second and five more in the third off three Pintos hurlers. Moriarty (1-6) scored its only run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by sophomore Jace McCutcheon.

Senior Justin Lawson added a pair of knocks to the Cats’ 10-hit attack. Senior Kobyn Rivera had a two-run single in the first while freshman Quinn Culiver drove in a pair of runs with a first-inning groundout and a third-inning sacrifice fly.

CHS plays its third consecutive weekend event when it travels to Artesia for an eight-team tourney. The Cats face Roswell Goddard at 10 a.m. on Thursday in their first outing.