On Tuesday night, New Mexico Military Institute improved to 4-1 in district play and 11-6 on the year with a 10-9 extra inning win over Ruidoso at the NMMI Ballpark. With the setback, Ruidoso stumbles to 2-4 in district play and 7-11-1 overall.
After Javier Yepiz reached in the bottom of the first with the help of an error, Michael Ortega was able to record a sacrifice fly out and score the game’s first run. In the home half of the second inning, Rodolfo Anaya tallied an RBI-double to give the Colts a 2-0 advantage.
After a scoreless third inning, NMMI got runners on with a walk and an error. Nicolas Barcelo Teran hit one to center field to score the first run of the inning. Anaya tallied his second RBI, this time on a sacrifice bunt to put the Colts in the drivers set with a 5-0 lead after the Colts scored another run with a balk.
In the top of the fifth inning, Ruidoso used an RBI-double by Mason Fikany to make it a 5-1 ballgame. In the bottom half the Colts would answer with a run of their own to retake a 6-1 lead. In the top of the sixth inning, the Warriors used three walks, two errors and a catcher’s interference to turn the table as they scored eight runs to take a 9-6 lead. The Colts got back one run with an RBI-triple by Javier Yepiz, to help Caden Carter cross home plate and cut the deficit to just two runs.
After a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh inning, Tegin Maloney opened the bottom half reaching base on a walk. In the third pitch of his at bat, Konstatino Scopelitis smashed one to the left field fence – enough to round the bases and record an inside the park home run to knot the game at 9-9.
After holding the Warriors scoreless in the eighth and 9th inning, the Colts loaded the bases to open the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded, Noah Martinez recorded a walk off single to secure the 10-9 win.
Head Coach Brad Blackwell on the win, “Javier Yepiz came out and did everything we told him to do. He pitched well enough to win the ballgame but unfortunately his defense behind him gave up five errors, four in one inning… we just have to be better at making the simple plays,” Blackwell said. After being down two runs to start the seventh inning, “I just told the guys we’re the Colts, one of the best 3A teams and we have to put it all together. The guys got fired up and stepped up with some big plays,” Blackwell said. “This is the first time all year I see us finish as a team and come together in that way.”
The Colts return to action on Thursday, April 17 as they take on Sandia Prep in Albuquerque for a doubleheader, starting at 4 p.m. MDT.