The Littlefield Wildcats’ varsity baseball team took game one of their Class 3A Regional Quarterfinal series with the Tornillo Coyotes, 4-1, to take a 1-0 series lead in Monahans on Thursday.
Chris Brown pegged the leadoff man, Javier Ceballos, to begin the first inning, but got Oscar Reyes to strike out swinging for out number one. Angel Santeilana struck out swinging, but reached base safely, as the ball got behind Davin Saldana behind the plate to put runners on the corners for Tornillo.
Noe Moreno, though, hit a chopper back at Brown on the mound, who turned and fired to Trevino at second base, who then fired to first for the double play to retire the side.
Trevino hit a chopper to Victor Valenzuela at first for out number one in the home half of the first inning, but Blake Green drew a walk to give the Wildcats a base runner. However, Ethan Hackler grounded out to Santeilana at third base and Brown popped up to Jesus Delgado in left field to end the inning.
Brown got two quick outs on the Coyotes to start the second inning, as Rolando Ruvalcaba grounded out to Jeremiah Salazar at second base and Valenzuela struck out looking, but Delgado picked them up with a triple over Ethan Garcia in right field to give the Coyotes a base runner.
Derek Sanchez was hit by a pitch, but Jesse Gomez hit a chopper to Hackler at third base, who made a low throw to first, but Gus McNabb was able to scoop it up off the turf to retire the side.
In the bottom half of the side, McNabb hit a chopper to Santeilana at third and was thrown out at first and Garcia grounded out to Valenzuela at first, before Jonavan Weaver singled to left field to give Littlefield a runner. He would be stranded on base, as Saldana hit a liner to third base and he was thrown out at first to end the inning.
Brown made quick work of the Coyotes in the top of the third inning, as Ceballos flew out to Green in center field, Reyes grounded out to Trevino at shortstop and Santeilana grounded out to Hackler at third base to retire the side.
The Wildcats broke through in the bottom of the third inning, as Turner Heffington tripled on an error by Gomez in right field to lead things off for Littlefield. Trevino followed it up with an RBI-double to left-center field to make the score, 1-0. Green laid down a bunt that was fielded by Moreno coming off of the mound, he went to third with it to get Trevino for out number one.
The Wildcats would strand another runner, as Hackler flew out to center field and Brown flew out to left field to end the inning.
Moreno drew a lead-off walk to begin the fourth inning for Tornillo, but he was hung out to dry on the next play, as Ruvalcaba lined out to McNabb at first, who stepped on the bag for the double play to clear the bases. Valenzuela hit a chopper to Hackler on the run at third base, but he made a high throw to first, putting Valenzuela on second with a double. Brown would get Delgado to ground out to Salazar at second base to retire the side.
The Wildcats went three-up-and-three down in the bottom of the fourth inning, and they were able to keep Tornillo’s bats quiet again in the top of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Saldana singled to left field, as Joseph Salinas came on as the courtesy runner. Salinas, though, would be picked off at second by Ruvalcaba for out number one and Heffington struck out swinging for out number two.
Trevino singled through the right side and Green followed it up with an RBI-triple to the rightfield corner to extend their lead to, 2-0. Hackler hit an RBI-single to shortstop that was bobbled on the bare-hand try by Sanchez, making the score, 3-0. The rally would come to an end, as Brown struck out swinging for out number three to end the inning.
Brown recorded another one, two, three inning, as he got Santeilana to pop up to Trevino in shallow left-center field for out number one. He got Moreno to ground out to Salazar at second base and Ruvalcaba flew out to Green in left-center field to retire the side.
In the home half of the sixth inning, McNabb hit a chopper to Santeilana at third and was thrown out at first for out number one, but Garcia picked him up with a double to right-center field, as Caden Longoria came in as the pinch runner. Longoria took third on a past ball and Weaver hit an RBI-sacrifice grounder on a bobble by Santeilana at third base to make the score, 4-0, with two outs.
Saldana would ground out to Santeilana at third to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Valenzuela doubled to right field, but took a wide turn at second and was canned by Garcia for out number one. Delgado drew a walk and he went first to third on a bad pickoff to first by Brown. Sanchez hit a sacrifice grounder to Salazar at second base, who got the out at first as the run came in to score to trim the lead to, 4-1. that would be as close as they got, as Gomez flew out to Green in center field to end the game.
Brown threw a complete game, earning five strikeouts, while giving up four walks and one run.