La Cueva beats Clovis in 5A state opener

ALBUQUERQUE — Two shaky innings on defense were costly Friday for the Clovis High baseball team.

The Wildcats, seeded last in the Class 5A 16-team field, gave top-seeded La Cueva a decent run for its money in the opener of a first-round, best-of-three series before the Bears nailed down a 7-3 victory.

The teams meet again at 11 a.m. today, with Clovis (12-15) needing a win to force a third game.

Junior left-hander Brandon Gilliard gave up all eight La Cueva hits and seven runs, but only two were earned — the result of four Clovis errors.
La Cueva senior left-hander Cory Lamont allowed five hits and three runs — two earned — in six innings.

“It was a well-pitched game,” CHS coach Shane Shallenberger said. “Both Brandon and Lamont threw well. They just got a couple extra hits when they needed them, I guess.”

La Cueva (24-3) scored in the first inning, then an error helped set up a two-run second to make it 3-0.

With the score 3-1 in the fifth, the Bears took advantage of an error on a potential double play ball to score four runs — on two hits.

Six players had one hit each for the Cats.

Lamont, who walked none and struck out eight, worked three perfect innings before Omar Sosa led off the fourth with a single, took second on a passed ball and came home on Parker Wood’s two-out single.

The Cats scored again in the sixth after Jake Burrell and Jarod Kiser led off with singles. Both moved up on Wood’s groundout, and Burrell scored on Emery Sierra’s bounceout.

In the seventh against reliever Austin House, Michael Sena reached second on a one-out error, took third on Sebastian Flores’ single and scored on Sosa’s groundout.

Gilliard walked two and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings. Josh Burrell worked the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing no hits.

“Brandon threw really good,” Shallenberger said. “He had them off-balance. A lot of their hits didn’t hurt us.”

Shallenberger said either Jake Burrrell or Wood is likely to get the start on the mound in today’s first game.

La Cueva 7, Clovis 3
Clovis    000  101  1 — 3    6    4
La Cueva    120  040  x — 7    8    2
Brandon Gilliard, Josh Burrrell (5) and Jarod Kiser; Cory Lamont, Austin House (7) and Mitchell Garver. W — Lamont. L — B. Gilliard. Top Clovis hitters — Kiser 1-3; Parker Wood 1-3, RBI; Andrew Gilliard 1-3; Sebastian Flores 1-3; Omar Sosa 1-3, run, RBI; Jake Burrell 1-4, run. Records — La Cueva 24-3, Clovis 12-15.