Monte Vista too much for Center in up and down game

Center's David Hammel (background) watches Stephen Clutter of Monte Vista (foreground) carefully as Clutter steps out of his stance. Clutter and the Pirates would end their season on a high note with a 10-8 win.(Courier photo by Stephen Jiron)

CENTER — Both baseball teams ended their regular seasons this past weekend on Lloyd M. Garcia field in Center Community Park. Monte Vista (5-14-0) got the better of Center (9-10-0) by a score of 10-8 on Saturday May 5.

Prior to their meeting, Center was on the bubble and on the outside looking in on a playoff spot. While the win over Monte Vista wouldn’t have guaranteed a berth it would have been a big step in the right direction. Monte Vista meanwhile had watched Bayfield and Alamosa claim the top two spots in the IML and their RPI left something to be desired with regards to extending their season.

Early on things looked as though Monte Vista might run away with the game, when the Pirates put up five unanswered runs in the first four innings. In the bottom of that inning Center closed the gap with 5 runs of their own.  

In the fifth inning Monte Vista wasn’t content to sit idly by, adding another two runs to once again take the lead. At the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded Center senior Robbie Cortez sent a base clearing double to left center field to give the Vikings their first lead of the game.
The Pirates next at bat Jarren Chavez scored Tucker Jones with a single to tie things up. Then with Chavez and Stephen Clutter on base Hunter Hindes picked up a base hit to score both retaking the lead once more. Neither team would score for the remainder, giving the Pirates win number five of 2018.

For Monte Vista Colby Self batted three runs in while Hunter Hindes and Self each tied for the team lead in runs with two. Cortez’s three run double gave him the RBI lead for the Vikings.  The run title for Center went to Patrick Mortensen with two. From the mound Stephen Clutter picked up the win for Monte Vista maintaining a 0 ERA in the two innings he presided over. Patrick Mortensen was the pitcher of note for the Vikings in his 6.1 innings.