Broncos reach 1A finals with 7-2 win
RIO RANCHO — The Floyd Broncos will be playing for a state championship today.
Senior pitcher Chet Chenault tossed a three-hitter and drove in four runs with a homer and a triple as the second-seeded Broncos dispatched Valley Christian 7-2 in Thursday’s Class 1A semifinals at Rio Rancho Cleveland High School.
Floyd (13-7) faces top-seeded Gallup Catholic, which held off Capitan 9-7 on Thursday, in today’s 8:30 a.m. title clash at Isotopes Park, home of Albuqueque’s Triple-A squad.
Chenault walked four — three in the first inning — and allowed three singles — two coming in the second inning. He finished with four walks and 10 strikeouts, allowing only a pair of unearned runs in the fifth as the result of two Broncos errors.
“We pitched and played defense, except for one inning,” Broncos coach Darwin Chenault said. “Chet pitched a heck of a game.”
Floyd scored twice in the top of the first on a single by J’Kobie Lee, Chet Chenault’s RBI triple and a run-scoring single by junior Blake Martin off Valley Christian’s Logan Rader.
The sixth-seeded Lions (10-10), who upended third-seed McCurdy in Wednesday’s quarterfinals, had a chance in the first with the bases loaded and two outs. But eighth-grader W.T. Whitecotton made a running shoestring catch of a drive into right-center to keep the Broncos in front 2-0.
“If he doesn’t catch it, that might’ve changed the game,” coach Chenault said.
In the fifth, Lee singled, took second on an error and Luis Ortiz reached on a fielder’s choice. Chet Chenault followed with a three-run homer for a 5-0 lead.
After Valley Christian closed to 5-2, Whitecotton reached on a single in the sixth and came home when junior Tori Tucker’s line drive skipped past the left fielder and went for a two-run, inside-the-park homer.
Rader, a junior right-hander, also went the distance, allowing seven hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
“Rader’s a good pitcher,” coach Chenault said. “He’s one of the better pitchers we’ve seen this season.”
Coach Chenault said he likely will start Martin, a left-hander, on the mound in today’s final. He said the Broncos should have sufficient pitching with Lee and junior Luis Ortiz behind Martin.
