Rams take fifth place in Clovis tourney
Except for a rough first inning against host Clovis on Thursday, the Portales Rams played pretty well in two of their three games in the season-opening Clovis Invitational.
Portales bounced back from an 11-5 shellacking at the hands of El Paso Parkland on Friday to beat El Paso High 5-3 in Saturday’s fifth-place game at Bell Park.
Sophomore A.J. Marquez hit a one-out RBI triple to break a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning, then score on Brandon Lovato’s RBI single to left. Reliever Jesus Acosta made the lead stand up, working the final two innings for the win.
“We came out and played well,” Rams coach Arturo Ontiveros said. “We didn’t have one error, and we put the ball in play. Usually when you do those things, it pays off in the win column.”
Sophomore David Rodriguez, five days removed from his junior varsity basketball season, worked five innings and would have been in line for the win except for a two-out, two-run single by the Tigers’ J.C. Olivas which made it 3-3 in the top of the fifth. Rodriguez gave up five hits, struck out five and walked no one, although he did hit a batter.
Acosta worked around a single and a walk in the seventh.
“They both did a pretty good job,” Ontiveros said. “And our kids made plays behind them.”
El Paso High’s Jared Zuniga went the distance in the loss, allowing seven hits, including two each to Lovato, Marquez and Garth Dodson.
Roswell Goddard thumped Parkland 15-2 in the third-place contest, while Rio Rancho blanked Clovis 14-0 to take the championship.
The Rams return to action on Tuesday, opening their home schedule with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Goddard.
Clovis Invitational
At Bell Park
Thursday’s games
Rio Rancho 19, El Paso Parkland 0
Roswell Goddard 24, El Paso High 3
Clovis 9, Portales 7
Friday’s games
El Paso Parkland 11, Portales 5
Rio Rancho 13, Roswell Goddard 3
Clovis 5, El Paso High 2
Saturday’s games
Fifth place
Portales 5, El Paso High 3
Third place
Roswell Goddard 15, El Paso Parkland 2
Championship
Rio Rancho 14, Clovis 0
