Rio Rancho High wins APS Metro crown

It was an awesome day for the Rio Rancho High School baseball staff Saturday morning, because the Rams received their first APS Metro diamond title since 2013, led their longtime head coach, Ron Murphy, to his 600th profession win, and shut out a District 1-5A foe en path to including a trophy to their assortment for a 12 months.

Junior Seth Lee (3-0) scattered six hits whereas going the space, and the Rams (13-1) scored sufficient runs of their first at-bats to earn the win.

Notching his third bunt single in two days, leadoff batter Casen Savage quickly scored the one run his staff would wish. He moved to second on a handed ball and got here in on the primary of six Hawks errors within the contest.

Ryan Casados reached on that first miscue and made it 2-0 on a Dominick Priddy single. Elijah Castañeda reached on a fielder’s alternative and the Hawks’ third error of the body allowed

Castañeda to attain for a 3-0 lead.

An error within the third figured within the Rams’ fourth run, pushed in on a triple by Vascon Smith within the third.

Casados walked to begin the fifth and Priddy adopted with a single.

Castañeda stroked an RBI single and Bryan Vasquez, operating for Priddy, made it 6-0, crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Smith.

Lee faltered simply twice, because the Hawks (8-3) stuffed the bases within the second and once more within the fifth, however failed to attain.

Lee mentioned he didn’t have a finest pitch on the day, that his secret to success was “simply being artful, you understand. That’s a good-swinging staff.

“Our whole team hit pretty well and that set the tone for me,” Lee mentioned, a bit miffed after going hitless in three at-bats.

“We don’t have as great of a day if we don’t swing it like that,” he mentioned of the early lead.

“It’s a big honor to win a tournament with 16 teams, so many great teams, at this tournament,” Murphy mentioned. “It’s not a straightforward match to win. It takes a variety of depth, a variety of pitching, it takes youngsters enjoying collectively.

“I thought we did a very good job of fundamental baseball. … I don’t think we did anything to defeat ourselves.”

Extra innings: The Rams hit the sector once more Thursday at 6:30 p.m. within the remaining recreation of the 4 video games being performed within the opening spherical of the annual Sal Puentes./Rio Rancho Tourney. The Bloomfield Bobcats present the opposition.

… This was the fourth time the Rams appeared within the APS Metro championship recreation: They beat La Cueva, 11-4, in 2013; they misplaced to La Cueva, 5-2, in 2017; they misplaced to Cleveland, 8-4, in 2019, the final time it had been performed. The pandemic worn out the occasion in 2020 and ’21.