SHS Lobo Baseball Team Goes 2-3 In Busy Week

By Greg Perkins
   After a busy week on the diamond, the Snowflake Lobos find themselves even on the season with five up and five down.
   Last week’s action began on Tuesday when the Lobos traveled to Globe and played in some warmer weather, but the result wasn’t what they had hoped for. Globe made a deep playoff run last season and lost just one key player off that team. The Tigers scored twice in the first and added two more in the second to take an early 4-0 lead. In the fourth they doubled that margin before the Lobos were able to push two across in the top of the fifth. Globe answered those two in the home half of the inning to keep their working mar-gin of eight runs. One final run in the sixth ended Snowflake's chances with an 11-2 loss.
   Snowflake scored two runs on six hits, made five errors and left six on base.
   Sheldon Mitchell took the loss on the hill working four innings. He faced 25 hitters, gave up eight runs, including seven earned on 11 hits with two walks and two strike outs. Nick Reidhead pitched two innings, facing 12 batters and giving up three runs, including two earned on four hits with one walk.
   At the plate, Cody Hoopes went one for one with a triple and scored. Logan Rogers went one for three with a home run, two RBIs and scored a run. Cody Overley, Tyler Byars, Chase Jones and Robby Martin-dale also were one for three.
Snowflake         000 020 0     2
Globe                220 421 x    11
   On Friday, the Lobos opened play in Maricopa at the Matt Huffman Memorial tournament.
   They faced Coolidge in the first five inning game and gave up four runs in the fifth inning to lose the game 6-5. Neither team scored until the third where they matched each other with single runs. In the fourth the Lobos countered the Bears’ single run with three of their own to take a two-run lead. A couple of mis-takes in the final inning allowed Coolidge to get the come from behind win.
   Byars worked all five innings, facing 25 batters. He gave up six runs, with just one earned on four hits with five walks, and he had six strike outs, but hit four Coolidge batters.
   The Lobos had eight hits, made two costly errors and left five on base.
   At the dish, Rogers had a big day, going two for two, including a double, two stolen bases and an RBI, and scored a run. Martindale also had a big game, going two for three with two doubles and two runs scored. Overley went one for two with an RBI. Hoopes went one for three, stole a base, had an RBI and scored a run. Jones went one for three with an RBI. Trevor Reddick was one for three. Blake Peterson walked and scored a run.
Coolidge                     001 14 6
Snowflake                   001 31 5
   On Saturday, the Lobos played their first of three straight games and started that tripleheader in fine fashion with an 8-1 win over St. Johns.
   After the Redskins scored their only run in the top of the first, the Lobos answered with two in the bot-tom of the inning to take a lead they would never give up. One in the third and a big inning with five in the fifth sealed the deal.
   Snowflake pounded out eight hits, made just one error and left seven runners stranded.
   Martindale took the win on the hill pitching all five innings. He faced 20 batters, gave up just one run, which was unearned on two hits with three walks, and had three strike outs.
   Kyle Larsen had a big game, going three for three with three stolen bases, three RBIs and scored three runs. Reidhead went two for three, stole a base and had an RBI. Rogers was one for two, had three stolen bases and scored twice. Overley went one for two with a stolen base. Hoopes went one for three with a double, an RBI and scored a run. Jones was one for three, stole a base and scored, as did Martindale.
St. Johns                   100   00   1
Snowflake                 201 5x    8
   The middle game of the busy day also went well for the Lobos as they were able to upend Santa Rita, a 4A school from Tucson, by a final of 6-3. After giving up one in the top of the first, the Lobos weren’t able to answer until the bottom of the third, where they knotted the score. The bottom of the fourth proved to be the decisive inning when the Lobos pushed in five runs to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
   Snowflake pounded out 10 hits in the game, made no errors and left eight on base.
   Larson was three for three with a stolen base, an RBI and scored twice. Rogers went two for three, stole a base and had an RBI. Overley went one for two with a double, two RBIs and scored a run. Reidhead was one for two and scored a run. Jones went one for two with a sacrifice and stole a base. Martindale was one for three with two RBIs. Hoopes went one for three, and Peterson scored a run in the win.
Santa Rita                   100 11 3
Snowflake                    001 5x 6
   By the time game three of their tripleheader rolled around the Lobos were getting low on pitchers and energy. The host team Maricopa was able to take advantage and outlasted Snowflake, sending the Lobos home with a 16-7 loss. The Lobos scored twice in the top of the first, but gave up four in the home half of the inning, then really fell behind as Maricopa added seven runs in the bottom of the second to effectively put the game out of reach. Snowflake tried a late rally with three in the fourth and two more in the fifth, but it was too little, too late.
   Tarrin Tanner took the hill first and worked three innings, where he faced 20 batters. He gave up 11 runs, with just three earned on five hits, with five walks and one strike out. Overley pitched one inning, faced 11 hitters, and gave up five runs, with three earned on five hits with three strike outs. Mitchell pitched the final inning, facing five batters and issuing two walks and one strike out.
   At the dish, Larson went two for three, with two stolen bases, two RBIs and scored once. Rogers was one for three with an RBI. Overley, Jones and Martindale each went one for three, stole a base and scored a run. Byars also went one for three. Reddick, Reidhead and Hoopes all walked and scored a run.
Snowflake                200 32    7
Maricopa                  472 3x 16
   “Overall, I was pleased with the way we played in the tournament. It was nice to get away and play in some warmer weather,” said Coach Aaron Huish.
   “We still have a couple of guys out with injuries, but we had some good opportunities to see some guys in different positions. We were able to pick up a couple of quality wins and we learned a lot in our losses. It is still the pre-season and we have just a little time left to figure out who is going to play the best where.
   “Against Globe at the start of the week, we knew we would be facing a good team. They had nearly everyone returning from last year’s team and they are still very good. It was a chance to see how we com-pare to a really good team,” said the coach.
   After hosting Window Rock on Tuesday, the Lobos will get set to open conference play on Friday, March 14, when they host Round Valley in a scheduling change. This game was originally set to be played in Eagar, but has been switched with the game on April 11, which will now be a road game for the Lobos.