Santa Fuego release their sweatshirts

Dec 27 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego are offering the

The Santa Fe Fuego are offering their tackle twill sweatshirts in Black, Orange, Red and Hot Pink this winter. Fans can pick any color/size combination. These are the exact same tackle twill that the players wear on the field. For more information check them out online at the Santa Fe Fuego Store. http://www.santafefuego.com/santafe.asp?page=14

Santa Fe Fuego release their new facebook page

Dec 27 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego have released th

The Santa Fe Fuego have released their new professional sports page. Their old page was a personal page and due to the huge following it is no longer acceptable to the audience. All Fans are invited to like the Fuego Page at the following address https://www.facebook.com/pages/Santa-Fe-Fuego/603827279665507

Santa Fes independent baseball team, the Fuego, was good enough to bump it up to No. 35

Dec 16 2013 12:00AM

http://voices.suntimes.com/sports/congrats-chicago-is-no-1-in-sports-and-sports-bars/

Black Friday strikes Santa Fe Fuego

Nov 21 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego are participatin

The Santa Fe Fuego are participating in Black Friday. Fans can buy a Fitted Game Hat and T-Shirt for $25 beginning 11/22/2013 and ending 11/29/2013.

As advertised in the Santa Fe New Mexican. Regular Price for hat is $24.95 and T-Shirt is $19.99.

Fuego Gear is very popular in the Capital City for Christmas Gifts

Santa Fe Fuego choose Old Hickory as their bat company in 2014

Oct 1 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego will use Old Hic

The Santa Fe Fuego will use Old Hickory Bat Company for the 2014 Season. Before switching to Old Hickory midway through the 2013 season the Fuego experienced problems with a high number of broken maple bats. The Fuego play in Fort Marcy Park which is the highest elevation of any Professional Baseball Park in the World.

Old Hickory was great with delivery times and gave the players great wood to use.

Santa Fe Fuego Manager Bill Moore: "Last year all of all players loved the Old Hickory Bats that they got, so that is who we are staying with. I told the league office we need to use Old Hickory when you turn on the TV ever up and coming big leaguer is using them."

Old Hickory is headquartered in Goodlettsville, TN, visit their website at: http://www.oldhickorybats.com

Santa Fe Fuego trade Jimmy Maxwell to Evansville Otters

Jul 29 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego have traded Jimm

The Santa Fe Fuego have traded Jimmy Maxwell to the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League. Jimmy lead the Pecos League in Home Runs and was a driving force in the Fuegos late source playoff run. According to Fuego Coach Bill Moore he will report to Evansville immediately.

The Las Vegas Train Robbers fall 11-4 at the hands of the Santa Fe Fuego

Jul 25 2013 12:00AM

The Las Vegas Train Robbers (41-27) didnt stand a chance on Wednesday, as the Santa Fe Fuego (36-31) captured a blowout 11-4 win at Fort Marcy Park.

The Santa Fe Fuego scored three runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Josh Barnett and an RBI single by Jimmy Maxwell.

Devonte Odums was hot from the plate for the Santa Fe Fuego. Odums went 2-5, drove in one and scored two runs. He doubled in the second inning and singled in the seventh inning.

Kevin Camacho picked up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. Camacho pitched nine innings and allowed no earned runs, nine hits and no walks while striking out six.

Shayne Miller was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just five innings, walked six, struck out five, and allowed four runs.

Santa Fe Fuego 6 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5

Jul 23 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 6 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5

This game was played on 7/23/2013 at Rodriguez Park

Santa Fe Fuego 5 Taos Blizzard 4

Jul 22 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 5 Taos Blizzard 4

This game was played on 7/22/2013 at Fort Marcy

The Santa Fe Fuego have Playoff Fever beating the Taos Blizzard 12-9.

Jul 21 2013 12:00AM

The Fuego trailed most of the game

The Fuego trailed most of the game but held on for 12-9 road win in the last game that will be played in Taos in 2013. The two teams meet for final game tommorow in Santa Fe. Trinidad was rained out in Alamogordo and each of the three remaining games for Santa Fe is critical.

Santa Fe Fuego sweeps doubleheader beats Taos 5-4 in extra innings.

Jul 20 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego swept a doublehe

The Santa Fe Fuego swept a doubleheader at Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe on Saturday Night. After winning the first game 5-3 the Fuego sent Kevin Camacho to the mound, he responded with 7 solid innings and only three runs surrendered. The Fuegos neighbors to the North the Taos Blizzard countered with a solid 7 inning performance from Rodney Tafoya. Tafoya pitched for the Fuego in 2012 and was attempting to play spoiler role for the Blizzard. Ryne Sonberg lead Taos with two hits. Kyle Kingsley pitched two solid innings for the Taos Blizzard. Steve Taft got the loss for Taos in the 10th inning. Charlie Calamia had two doubles for the Fuego. The Fuego are exactly one game behind the Trinidad Triggers who beat White Sands in Alamogordo. Both teams have four games left to go. Santa Fe is at Taos on Sunday for the last home game of the year for the Blizzard. Trinidad has two more games in White Sands before heading home to finish with Raton.

Santa Fe Fuego 5 Taos Blizzard 3

Jul 20 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 5 Taos Blizzard 3

This game was played on 7/20/2013 at Fort Marcy

For the first time in team history

For the first time in team history the Santa Fe Fuego are above .500 with a record of 32-31.

In 2013 the Fuego have won 1 run games when they didn"t in 2012. Their defense and starting pitching has vastly improved. These are reasons why the Fuego are in the playoff chase.

The 7/19/2013 Taos Blizzard at Sant

The 7/19/2013 Taos Blizzard at Santa Fe Fuego Game has been rained out. The two teams will play a doubleheader on 7/20/2013 beginning at 2:30 PM at Fort Marcy Park. Trinidad lost in White Sand 9-3 leaving the lead at 1-1/2 games for the Triggers. Santa Fe has all six games remaining.

Santa Fe Fuego 15 Raton Osos 10

Jul 18 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 15 Raton Osos 10

This game was played on 7/18/2013 at Fort Marcy

Paul Risso pitches scoreless 6th inning for Raton as Santa Fe Fuego beat Raton Osos 5-4

Jul 17 2013 12:00AM

Josh Downing kept the Raton Osos (13-47) off the board during his six innings of work and the Santa Fe Fuego (29-31) beat the Raton Osos, 5-4.

Downing struck out five and allowed three walks and four hits.

A walk-off double by Charlie Calamia gave the Santa Fe Fuego the win.

Calamia racked up two RBIs on one hit for the Santa Fe Fuego. He doubled in the ninth inning.

Jimmy Maxwell got on base four times in the game for the Santa Fe Fuego. He scored two runs and had one RBI. He homered in the seventh inning.

Charlie McCready improved to 2-1 on the year by picking up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. He struck out none, walked none and surrendered one hit.

Phil Richmond (1-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just one-third of an inning, walked two, struck out one, and allowed two runs. Paul Risso pitched a scoreless 6th inning for Raton.

He become the oldest pitcher in the histo

Raton Osos 3 Santa Fe Fuego 2

Jul 16 2013 12:00AM

Raton Osos 3 Santa Fe Fuego 2

This game was played on 7/16/2013 at Gabrielle

Second-inning rally sparks blowout win for the Santa Fe Fuego 10-3

Jul 16 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (28-31) blew out the Raton Osos 10-3 on Tuesday at Gabriele Park after pouring on seven runs in the second inning.

Cameron Sherrer racked up four RBIs on one hit for the Santa Fe Fuego. He homered in the second inning.

The Raton Osos (13-46) couldnt get anything going as long as Charlie McCready was on the mound. McCready held the Raton Osos hitless over two innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out three.

Kellen Quintana was effective even in defeat, mowing down six the Santa Fe Fuego batters and allowing one run.

Matt Williams recorded his second win of the year for the Santa Fe Fuego. He allowed three runs over seven innings. He struck out five, walked two and surrendered seven hits.

Derek Sampell couldnt get it done on the mound for the Raton Osos, taking a loss. He allowed seven runs in two innings, walked two and struck out three.

The Trinidad Triggers outdone by Barnett and the Santa Fe Fuego 8-5

Jul 14 2013 12:00AM

Josh Barnett went 2-6 and hit a home run, sparking the Santa Fe Fuego (27-29) to an 8-5 victory over the Trinidad Triggers (32-26) on Saturday at Central Park. He singled in the second inning and homered in the fifth inning.

Frank Florio did his best to jumpstart the offense for the Trinidad Triggers, reaching base four times. He also drove in one runner. He doubled in the seventh inning and singled in the fifth and ninth innings.

Brian Hicks improved to 2-0 on the year by picking up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. He allowed one run over one inning. Hicks struck out none, walked one and gave up two hits.

John Sullivan was charged with his second loss of the year. He lasted just one-third of an inning, walked two, struck out none, and allowed three runs.

Trinidad Triggers 11 Santa Fe Fuego 2

Jul 14 2013 12:00AM

Trinidad Triggers 11 Santa Fe Fuego 2

This game was played on 7/14/2013 at Trindad Central Park

NMSU Aggies Alumni Night July 22nd Santa Fe

Jul 12 2013 12:00AM

NMSU Aggies Night with the Santa Fe

NMSU Aggies Night with the Santa Fe Fuego is back by popular demand. The Santa Fe Fuego baseball team will be hosting the second annual NMSU Aggie night on Monday, July 22nd.

Here are the details: What: Santa Fe Fuego vs. Taos Blizzard - NMSU AGGIES NIGHT

When: Monday, July 22, 2013 @ 6:00 pm Where: Fort Marcy Park, Murales and Washington Ave., Santa Fe, NM

Tickets: $6.00 in advance; $6.50 at the gate Here is the Santa Fe Fuego website address: http://www.santafefuego.com/santafe.asp?page=1

We had a great turn-out last year and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time watching the game and reconnecting with Aggie friends and families. The Aggies will be a designated seating area.

So, mark your calendars and come to the ball park to enjoy a baseball game, visiting with old and new friends, a hot dog (or burger), a cold beer (or soda) on Monday, July 22nd at 6:00 pm.

Liz Jaramillo Lopez, President NMSU Alumni Association Santa Fe Chapter

For more information, please contact NMSU Alumni Relations at (575) 646-3616 or alumni@nmsu.edu.

Matt Williams throws seven innings and goes 4-4 with 2 homers. Santa Fe 14 Raton 2

Jul 12 2013 12:00AM

Matt Williams went 4-4 with 2 home

Matt Williams went 4-4 with 2 home runs at the plate as the Santa Fe Fuego got a well deserved break with a game against the Raton Osos.

Drew Evans didn"t get out of the 2nd inning before allowing 11 hits and 8 runs.

Jimmy Maxwell hit his league leading 21st home run for the Fuego.

He also pitched seven innings striking out 7 while allowing just 3 hits. The Fuego climbed a full game in the Standings as White Sands beat Trinidad 6-5 across the border.

This sets up a critical two game series between Trinidad and Santa Fe for 2nd place in the Northern Division beginning Saturday Night in Trinidad.

The Trinidad Triggers uses big seventh inning to beat the Santa Fe Fuego 13-2

Jul 11 2013 12:00AM

The Trinidad Triggers (32-24) rolled over the Santa Fe Fuego (25-29) 13-2 on Thursday at Central Park after a seven-run rally in the seventh inning.

Wink Nolan went a perfect 5-5 at the plate for the Trinidad Triggers. He tripled in the fourth inning and singled in the second, sixth, seventh, and eighth innings.

Nick Rodesky got the win for the Trinidad Triggers thanks to six strikeouts. Rodesky allowed one earned run, four hits and two walks over seven innings.

Kevin Camacho (4-3) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just six innings, walked one, struck out seven, and allowed four runs.

The Alpine Cowboys late runs seal 14-3 blowout over the Santa Fe Fuego

Jul 10 2013 12:00AM

The Alpine Cowboys (34-20) scored five runs in the eighth to cap a 14-3 win over the Santa Fe Fuego (25-28) on Wednesday.

Eric Herman racked up two RBIs on four hits for the Alpine Cowboys. He singled in the third, fifth, and seventh innings and doubled in the eighth inning.

Bryce Weidman got the win, running his season record to 4-3. He allowed two runs over six innings. Weidman struck out four, walked four and gave up six hits.

Jon Sintes ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his fifth loss of the year. He lasted just five innings, walked five, struck out two, and allowed five runs.

Alpine Cowboys 10 Santa Fe Fuego 7

Jul 9 2013 12:00AM

Alpine Cowboys 10 Santa Fe Fuego 7

This game was played on 7/9/2013 at Fort Marcy

Team Old Hickory wins the All Star Game 14-12 over Team Max Bat

Jul 7 2013 12:00AM

The North Team Old Hickory Team Def

The North Team Old Hickory Team Defeated Southern Team Max Bat 14-12 in front of a capacity crowd at Fort Marcy Park. Will Walsh from the Las Vegas Train Robbers won the MVP going 4-5 with 2 grand slams. Charlie Calamia made several outstanding plays at Shortstop for the North Team. Jon Sintes, Edison Alvarez and Jared Bowser through scoreless innings for the North. Eric Zagone and Jacob Cook threw scoreless innings for the South. Pictures maybe viewed here

Alpine Cowboys 16 Santa Fe Fuego 5

Jul 7 2013 12:00AM

Alpine Cowboys 16 Santa Fe Fuego 5

This game was played on 7/7/2013 at Fort Marcy

The Santa Fe Fuego make the most of 7 hits in 7-5 victory over the Taos Blizzard

Jul 6 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (25-25) and the Taos Blizzard (22-29) both threatened with rallies, but it was the Santa Fe Fuego that eventually took advantage of them in a 7-5 win at Fort Marcy Park.

Charlie Calamia got on base three times in the game for the Santa Fe Fuego. He doubled in the eighth inning.

The Taos Blizzard couldnt get anything going as long as Brian Hicks was pitching. Hicks held the Taos Blizzard hitless over two innings, allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out three.

Andrew Azzopardi reached base four times. He scored two runs and had one RBI. He singled in the first and fourth innings.

Freezy Smalls recorded the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. He tossed one inning of shutout ball. He struck out one, walked one and surrendered no hits.

Russ Burroughs couldnt get it done on the mound for the Taos Blizzard, taking a loss. He lasted just three innings, walked three, struck out two, and allowed one run.

Santa Fe Fuego 10 Taos Blizzard 8

Jul 4 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 10 Taos Blizzard 8

This game was played on 7/4/2013 at Fort Marcy

The Taos Blizzard takes advantage of early error beats the Santa Fe Fuego 11-7

Jul 4 2013 12:00AM

Five first-inning runs helped the Taos Blizzard (22-27) to an 11-7 win over the Santa Fe Fuego (23-25) at Fort Marcy Park on Wednesday.

Cody Coffman racked up three RBIs on three hits for the Taos Blizzard. He homered in the first inning, doubled in the sixth inning, and singled in the eighth inning.

The Santa Fe Fuego couldnt get anything going as long as Mike Fasalo was pitching. The Santa Fe Fuego managed just one hit off of the the Taos Blizzards pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out four during his two innings of work.

Elliot VanCoaver recorded his second win of the year for the Taos Blizzard. He allowed two runs over one inning. He struck out two, walked one and surrendered two hits.

Nolan Snell ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his second loss of the year. He allowed seven runs in three innings, walked five and struck out two.

Austin Carden gets traded to the El Paso Diablos

Jul 2 2013 12:00AM

Austin Carden was traded to the El

Austin Carden was traded to the El Paso Diablos during Monday Nights Game. Carden will join the Diablos in their bullpen. Carden along with Jon Sintes have clearly been the aces of the Santa Fe Fuego Staff. He has pitched 57.2 innings only allowing 19 walks with an unheard of 4.21 ERA in Fort Marcy Park.

Carden will report to El Paso on Tuesday to join the team for a homestand. He will be replaced on the All-Star Team by Michael Kershner.

Sims leads the Santa Fe Fuego to 13-7 win over the Raton Osos

Jul 2 2013 12:00AM

Bryson Sims hit two home runs to carry the Santa Fe Fuego (22-23) to a 13-7 win over the Raton Osos (7-38) at Fort Marcy Park.

Matt Lynch rocked the Santa Fe Fuego with two home runs. Lynch went 4-5 in the game with five RBIs and two runs scored. Lynch homered in the first, third, and third innings.

The Santa Fe Fuego blew out the Raton Osos thanks to 10 hits, including zero extra base hits. The Santa Fe Fuego scored five runs in the fifth on a solo home run by Devonte Odums, a three-run home run by Evan Mansell, and a solo home run by Sims.

The Raton Osos had no answer for Forest Carpenter, who kept runners off the basepaths in his appearance. Carpenter held the Raton Osos hitless over two innings, allowed no earned runs, walked three and struck out three.

Kevin Camacho recorded his fourth win for the Santa Fe Fuego even though he allowed seven runs over six innings. He struck out five, walked two and surrendered nine hits.

Willie Frederick ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his seventh loss of the year. He allowed nine runs in 4 2/3 innings, walked three and struck out two.

The Santa Fe Fuego were sparked by Odums and Sims, who teamed up for eight hits and nine RBIs.

The Taos Blizzard make the most of 8 hits in 5-4 victory over the Santa Fe Fuego

Jul 2 2013 12:00AM

The Taos Blizzard (21-27) and the Santa Fe Fuego (23-24) both threatened with rallies, but it was the Taos Blizzard that eventually took advantage of them in a 5-4 win at Taos Tundra.

Eric McGee racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Taos Blizzard. He homered in the third inning and singled in the fourth inning.

The Santa Fe Fuego couldnt get anything going as long as Eric Berkowitz was on the mound. The Santa Fe Fuego managed just one hit off of the the Taos Blizzards pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out two during his 2 1/3 innings of work.

Devonte Odums went a perfect 3-3 at the dish for the Santa Fe Fuego. He doubled in the first inning and singled in the third and fifth innings.

Javy Perez improved to 1-0 on the year by picking up the win for the Taos Blizzard. He allowed three runs over six innings. He struck out nine, walked none and surrendered 10 hits.

Gill Tussey (2-2) took the loss for the Santa Fe Fuego. He lasted just four innings, walked one, struck out one, and allowed five runs.

The Raton Osos fall 9-3 at the hands of the Santa Fe Fuego

Jun 29 2013 12:00AM

The Raton Osos (7-37) didnt stand a chance on Saturday, as the Santa Fe Fuego (21-23) captured a blowout 9-3 win at Gabriele Park.

The Santa Fe Fuego scored three runs in the ninth on a hit by pitch, an RBI single by Charlie Calamia, and a fielders choice.

Calamia racked up two RBIs on four hits for the Santa Fe Fuego.

Wesley Jones did his best to jumpstart the offense for the Raton Osos, reaching base three times. He singled in the second and sixth innings.

Jon Sintes improved to 4-4 on the year by picking up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. He allowed three runs over six innings. He struck out seven, walked four and surrendered seven hits.

Will Casey (0-6) took the loss for the Raton Osos. He allowed six runs in 4 2/3 innings, walked one and struck out four.

The Raton Osos make the most of 9 hits in 7-4 victory over the Santa Fe Fuego

Jun 28 2013 12:00AM

The Raton Osos (7-36) and the Santa Fe Fuego (20-23) both had scoring chances on Friday, but it was the Raton Osos that were able to capitalize on them as they pulled out a 7-4 win at Gabriele Park.

Nicholas Hinojos racked up two RBIs on three hits for the Raton Osos. He singled in the first and fifth innings and doubled in the seventh inning.

Nickolas Huff handled the Santa Fe Fuegos lineup with ease, racking up six strikeouts. The Raton Osos pitcher gave up just four hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings.

Bryson Sims led the Santa Fe Fuegos offensive threat, as he got on base three times in the game. He scored two runs and had one RBI. He singled in the fourth inning and homered in the sixth inning.

Tim Sylvester got the win, running his season record to 3-3. He allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out three, walked two and surrendered eight hits.

Nolan Snell was the games losing pitcher. He allowed seven runs in 6 2/3 innings, walked three and struck out four.

The Santa Fe Fuego take out the Trinidad Triggers with help from Maxwell 7-4

Jun 27 2013 12:00AM

Jimmy Maxwell knocked in four runs, sparking the Santa Fe Fuego (20-22) to a 7-4 victory over the Trinidad Triggers (25-17) on Thursday at Central Park. He singled in the first, sixth, and eighth innings.

Charlie McCready looked sharp on the mound. The Trinidad Triggers managed just one hit off of the the Santa Fe Fuegos pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked two and struck out one during his three innings of work.

Jason Veyna did his best to jumpstart the offense for the Trinidad Triggers, reaching base three times. He scored two runs and had one RBI. He singled in the fifth inning.

Benji Waite ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his second loss of the year. He lasted just six innings, walked two, struck out five, and allowed five runs.

The Santa Fe Fuego make the most of 10 hits in 8-5 victory over the Trinidad Triggers

Jun 26 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (19-22) and the Trinidad Triggers (25-16) both had scoring chances on Wednesday, but it was the Santa Fe Fuego that were able to capitalize on them as they pulled out an 8-5 win at Central Park.

Jimmy Maxwell racked up four RBIs on two hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He doubled in the first inning and homered in the ninth inning.

Jared Bowser recorded his first win of the year for the Santa Fe Fuego. He struck out none, walked none and surrendered no hits.

Zach Leitten ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his fourth loss of the year. He lasted just one inning, walked none, struck out none, and allowed four runs.

The Santa Fe Fuego drop the Trinidad Triggers 10-5 behind Langes early home run

Jun 25 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (18-21)s five first-inning runs built an early lead that helped bring home a 10-5 win over the Trinidad Triggers (24-15) on Tuesday at Fort Marcy Park.

Kellen Lee put himself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He singled in the first inning, doubled in the third inning, and homered in the seventh inning.

Austin Carden picked up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. Carden allowed three earned runs, 10 hits and one walk while striking out 11 over nine innings of work.

Frank Florio went a perfect 3-3 at the plate for the Trinidad Triggers. He doubled in the sixth inning and singled in the second and eighth innings.

Chris Shaklee couldnt get it done on the mound for the Trinidad Triggers, taking a loss. He allowed seven runs in seven innings, walked two and struck out eight.

Devonte Odums, Michael Lange, Lee and Charlie Calamia helped lead the Santa Fe Fuego. They combined for eight hits and nine RBIs.

The Trinidad Triggers top the Santa Fe Fuego behind Veynas 3 hits 15-14

Jun 25 2013 12:00AM

Monday was a great day for Jason Veyna, as he hit two home runs to carry the Trinidad Triggers (24-14) to a 15-14 victory over the Santa Fe Fuego (17-21) at Fort Marcy Park.

Veyna racked up six RBIs on three hits for the Trinidad Triggers. He homered in the third and sixth innings and singled in the eighth inning.

The two teams combined for 29 runs and 32 hits, including zero extra base hits. Managers of the two teams seemingly emptied their bullpens in search of the win, as there were 11 pitchers used in the game.

The Santa Fe Fuego couldnt get anything going so long as Scott Elitzky was on the hill. Elitzky held the Santa Fe Fuego hitless over two innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out one.

Kevin Camacho was charged with his second loss of the year. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, walked five, struck out none, and allowed four runs.

The Santa Fe Fuego make the most of 9 hits in 8-3 victory over the White Sands Pupfish

Jun 23 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (17-20) and the White Sands Pupfish (18-22) both threatened with rallies, but it was the Santa Fe Fuego that eventually took advantage of them in an 8-3 win at Fort Marcy Park.

Evan Mansell racked up three RBIs on two hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He doubled in the third inning and homered in the fourth inning.

Jon Sintes struck out eight, paving the way for a the Santa Fe Fuego win. Sintes allowed two earned runs, 10 hits and no walks over eight innings.

Mike Mendoza was hot from the plate for the White Sands Pupfish. Mendoza went 3-4 and drove in one. He singled in the fourth and sixth innings and doubled in the eighth inning.

Matt Gibbs (2-5) was the games losing pitcher. He allowed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings, walked two and struck out two.

DelRossos single gives the Santa Fe Fuego walk-off win over the White Sands Pupfish 11-10

Jun 23 2013 12:00AM

A walk-off single from Brian DelRosso brought home the winning run for the Santa Fe Fuego (16-20) in an 11-10 victory over the White Sands Pupfish (18-21) at Fort Marcy Park on Saturday.

George Ban rocked the Santa Fe Fuego with two home runs. Ban went 2-5 in the game with four RBIs and two runs scored. Ban homered in the first, first, and second innings.

Each team blasted the others pitching, and there were 21 total runs and 27 hits during the game. Relief pitchers got their fill of innings during the game, with the opposing managers using nine pitchers in total.

Devonte Odums racked up four RBIs on three hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He singled in the third innings, doubled in the seventh inning, and homered in the eighth inning.

Freezy Smalls got it done on the mound on the way to a win. He tossed one inning of shutout ball. Smalls struck out none, walked none and gave up no hits.

Chris Peacock couldnt get it done on the rubber for the White Sands Pupfish, taking a loss. He lasted just five innings, walked two, struck out six, and allowed four runs.

The Raton Osos and Santa Fe Fuego h

The Raton Osos and Santa Fe Fuego have announced the following trade. The Fuego are sending RHP Nick Huff to Raton. The osos are sending first baseman Michael Lange to Santa Fe.

Nick Huff will immediately help the Osos pitching staff and Michael Lange will immediately help Santa Fe"s Offense.

Santa Fe Fuego 11 White Sands Pupfish 10

Jun 22 2013 12:00AM

Santa Fe Fuego 11 White Sands Pupfish 10

This game was played on 6/22/2013 at Fort Marcy

The White Sands Pupfish outdone by Maxwell and the Santa Fe Fuego 9-7

Jun 20 2013 12:00AM

The Santa Fe Fuego (14-20) beat the White Sands Pupfish (18-19) 9-7 on Thursday at Fort Marcy Park behind Jimmy Maxwell, who collected four hits. He homered in the sixth inning and singled in the third, fourth, and eighth innings.

Christian Ramirez racked up three RBIs on two hits for the White Sands Pupfish. He singled in the first innings and homered in the fourth inning.

Even though Kevin Camacho allowed six runs over eight innings he still recorded the victory, his fourth of the season. Camacho struck out five, walked one and gave up 12 hits.

Justin Kuks (5-2) took the loss for the White Sands Pupfish. He allowed seven runs in five innings, walked four and struck out seven.

Alpine Cowboys 7 Santa Fe Fuego 5

Jun 19 2013 12:00AM

Alpine Cowboys 7 Santa Fe Fuego 5

This game was played on 6/19/2013 at Fort Marcy

The Santa Fe Fuego escape the Alpine Cowboys behind Sintes 7 strikeouts 7-2

Jun 18 2013 12:00AM

Tuesday was a great day for

Tuesday was a great day for Jon Sintes, as Sintes struck out seven batters to carry the Santa Fe Fuego (13-19) to a 7-2 victory over the Alpine Cowboys (18-16) at Fort Marcy Park.

Josh Barnett racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He homered in the second inning and singled in the seventh inning.

Despite the loss, the Alpine Cowboys Jeremy Burright dominated the Santa Fe Fuegos batters, giving up zero runs and striking out five.

Josh Cruse ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his first loss of the year. He allowed seven runs in four innings, walked one and struck out five.

Early lead gives the White Sands Pupfish easy victory over the Santa Fe Fuego 15-6

Jun 17 2013 12:00AM

The White Sands Pupfish (17

The White Sands Pupfish (17-17) refused to relinquish the lead after grabbing it early against the Santa Fe Fuego (12-19), recording a 15-6 victory on Monday at Aquarium.

Six runs in the first three innings allowed the White Sands Pupfish to put the game away early. An RBI double by George Ban, an RBI single by Mark Leacox, and an RBI single by Leacox during the first inning and a two-run home run by Christian Ramirez in the second inning fueled the White Sands Pupfishs offense early.

Leacox racked up three RBIs on two hits for the White Sands Pupfish.

Anthony Welsh racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Santa Fe Fuego. He singled in the second inning and homered in the fourth innings.

Chris Peacock improved to 4-2 on the year by picking up the win for the White Sands Pupfish. He allowed three runs over five innings. Peacock struck out four, walked two and gave up seven hits.

Josh White (1-2) took the loss for the Santa Fe Fuego. He allowed six runs in three innings, walked one and struck out none.

The White Sands Pupfish easily handled the Santa Fe Fuego pitching as six hitters combined for 14 hits, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored.

Camacho pitches, Smalls homers Santa Fe to 10-3 victory

Jun 16 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — After a long string of losses against southern division teams, Santa Fe finally got back on the winning side of the ledger Saturd...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — After a long string of losses against southern division teams, Santa Fe finally got back on the winning side of the ledger Saturday, riding the pitching of Kevin Camacho to a 10-3 victory over the Pupfish.

“I think our guys played probably as well as we’re capable of,” said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. “We pitched well. We played pretty solid defense. And swung the bat. Had some timely hits. I think we had several two-out RBIs. We preach a lot about when our team scores, we’ve got to throw a zero back at them, and when their team scores, we need to score back. And I think we did a pretty good job at that tonight.”

They did an excellent job, scoring in four innings where White Sands didn’t get anything across, and matching or beating the ‘Fish run totals in the two where White Sands did score.

And, they did it against Justin Kuks, who last time on the mound had a light-out performance to bring his record to 4-0. The Fuego handed him his first loss.

“He didn’t s

Zagone and Carden amazing in 1-0 Pupfish victory

Jun 15 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — There was very little scoring in Santa Fe Friday as Fort Marcy Park — usually the site of multiple runs — played host to a pi...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — There was very little scoring in Santa Fe Friday as Fort Marcy Park — usually the site of multiple runs — played host to a pitcher’s duel, with White Sands getting the only run of the game in the top of the first, then holding off a ninth-inning comeback try by the Fuego to win 1-0.

“We did great,” said Pupfish manager Ernie Munoz. “We played great defense behind Eric Zagone. Zagone threw his butt off today. The best game I’ve seen pitched all year, especially in a park like this. To put up zeros, it was amazing. It was a great game to be a part of. It was a lot of fun.”

“We played excellent defense and our pitcher was outstanding,” agreed Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. “Unfortunately, they did the same thing and they got the only run of the game. I honestly believe, this is my second year here at Fort Marcy and it’s a very small ball park, and I don’t ever recall a 1-0 game at Fort Marcy involving the Pecos League before. Both pitchers threw probably as just as good as you cou

Pupfish explode in eighth to take rain-shortened victory

Jun 14 2013 12:00AM

The rains came down late Thursday, forcing the White Sands/Santa Fe game to end after only eight innings. (Photo by Phil Grondin)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA F...

The rains came down late Thursday, forcing the White Sands/Santa Fe game to end after only eight innings. (Photo by Phil Grondin)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Rain stopped the game between White Sands and Santa Fe for about 30 minutes between the fourth and fifth innings, and forced it to end after eight after it began coming down again. But nothing could stop the Pupfish as they put up nine runs in the eighth to break open what had been a competitive game but somewhat sloppy between the Fuego and ‘Fish, winning 16-11.

“We got our ass kicked,” said an understandable frustrated Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. “You can put that in the newspaper. Our bullpen gave up nine runs in the top of the eighth inning.”

Santa Fe seemed to have control early, but couldn’t hold on for the final outs, and the early lead meant nothing to Moore.

“Obviously we didn’t play well enough to win at any point,” he said.

White Sands went up 3-0 in the first when J.J. Costantino walked; Christian Ramirez doubled; C

Pupfish use big hits to outlast Fuego

Jun 13 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Wednesday, Santa Fe and White Sands met for the first time this season, and after descriptions of Fort Marcy Park proved to be tr...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Wednesday, Santa Fe and White Sands met for the first time this season, and after descriptions of Fort Marcy Park proved to be true, the Pupfish came away with a close 15-12, fueled by a lot of big runs.

“It was good,” said White Sands manager Ernie Munoz. “High scoring like we expected. Everything everybody said about this place was true.”

But it took a bit for that big scoring to get underway. Through the first four innings, the ‘Fish held a slim 2-1 lead, with White Sands scoring in the third on J.J. Costantino’s first professional home run after the Fuego went up 1-0 in the first when Josh Barnett singled and scored on a Jimmy Maxwell single.

Things got a lot more interesting in the fifth as both teams scored big.

The Pupfish got singled from starting pitcher Chris Peacock and Constantino, but they also got two outs. But Munoz singled, Collins walked and George Ban hit a grand slam home run, taking advantage of the short right-field fence to make it 7-1.

Roswell sweeps Santa Fe with 15-8 series finale

Jun 12 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — No. 1 Roswell — running away with the first half of the season at 22-6 — wrapped up a four-game series sweep of Santa Fe at F...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — No. 1 Roswell — running away with the first half of the season at 22-6 — wrapped up a four-game series sweep of Santa Fe at Fort Marcy Park Tuesday, going up early on a struggling Fuego starter then battling back after their own starter faltered, getting a 15-8 victory.

Asked what the secret was to the early-season success, Invader manager Chris Ebright laughed.

“I really don’t think there’s any secret,” he said. “We’ve got some good hitters and our pitchers, for the most part, did a good job and I think this series we played some good, all-around baseball, for the most part.”

Roswell sent its first six batters to the plate against starter Josh White before even getting an out.

Chad Kruse singled, Ryan Normoyle and Andrew Deeds doubled, Vincent Mejia singled, Charles Dubanoski walked and Daniel Baptisa singled before White finally got an out. After Invader starter Andrew Shoemaker singled, Larry Rofdriguez moved to the mound to close out the inning.

�

Roswell 10-runs Santa Fe

Jun 11 2013 12:00AM

Ryan Normoyle has had strong two games vs. Santa Fe. Sunday, he hit three home runs. Monday he added another and a double,

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer ...

Ryan Normoyle has had strong two games vs. Santa Fe. Sunday, he hit three home runs. Monday he added another and a double,

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Nothing much changed in Fort Marcy Park Monday as Roswell downed Santa Fe 14-4 for the Invader’s third victory in a row over the Fuego.

The Roswell runs started early and didn’t let up, while Invader pitcher Ed Kohout had a strong 5.2 innings, giving up only two runs on five hits before surrendering the mound to Ryan Richardson, who gave up the final two runs, only one earned, before Jesus Carlos closed out the ninth.

One difference from the night before is that there were only two home run in the hitter friendly park, but that didn’t matter much as the other hits added up.

With two outs in the first Roger Bernal walked and scored on a Vincent Mejia single. Mejia scored on a Mike McCarthy double, and the Invaders were off and running.

They made it 5-0 in the second when Kohout walked and came in on a Reggie Taylor double �

Home runs lead Roswell past Santa Fe

Jun 10 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Sunday’s game at Fort Marcy Park proved once again that standings don’t always determine the outcome of a baseball game. It a...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Sunday’s game at Fort Marcy Park proved once again that standings don’t always determine the outcome of a baseball game. It also showed that a 285-foot right-field fence can make a big difference in a game.

The Invaders, who lead all teams with a 20-6 record, faced off against the Fuego, who are tied for second from the bottom of the league. But the game was a close 6-5 Roswell victory, with five of the Invader runs coming on home runs, all off starter Austin Carden.

Still, said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore, “He was very good. I’m not crying. I don’t want anybody to think I’m crying. They hit, I think of their six runs, I think five of them on a regular-sized baseball field would have been routine outs. So Austin threw well. He threw very well.”

Other than the short-porch shots — and three of the Fuego runs came on a home run — both coaches agreed it was a great game.

“I think both starting pitchers did great,” said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. “Coming up

Relief pitching falters as Invaders top Fuego 19-8

Jun 9 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE â€" The story around the Pecos League seems to be about pitching. HItters are strong, the defense is much improved but solid relie...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE â€" The story around the Pecos League seems to be about pitching. HItters are strong, the defense is much improved but solid relievers are hard to come by. And that certainly was the case Saturday in Santa Fe, as all but nine runs in the Invaders 19-8 victory came from the bullpen.

Jacob Cook pitched a strong game for Roswell, giving up only two runs on four hits and a walk.

â€œStarting pitcher did great,â€ said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. â€œHeâ€™s actually been bouncing back and forth between starting and relieving, and weâ€™re actually short a starter until Monday, so he stepped in and did a heck of a job.â€

The only Fuego runs he allowed came in the first and seventh innings, on home runs by Josh Barnett â€" a first pitch shot â€" and Kellen Lee.

Fuego starter Jon Sintes didnâ€™t do badly, either, even though he gave up seven runs in six innings.

Roswell scored on singles by Chad Kruse and Ryan Normoyle and a wild pitch in t

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Everything went right for Santa Fe Friday, as they pitched, hit and fielded extremely well en route to a 24-5 victory over the Osos.

"It was raining base hits, baby! laughed Fuego manager Bill Moore. "I dont know if there was any player in the lineup who didnt have at least one and maybe as many as two base hits."

The game was only close in the first inning, when Raton went up 2-0 on a single by Travis Fuquay and home run by Zach Kreegar.

Santa Fe came back in the bottom of the stanza on two walks, a two-out, 2 RBI double by pitcher Larry Rodriguez, another walk, and RBI single by Kellen Lee.

After that the Fuego broke the game wide open with 10 runs in the second, three in the third, five in the fourth and three in the fifth before Oso Stedman Smith, normally an outfielder, moved to the mound and shut Santa Fe down the rest of the way.

The 10-run Fuego second featured four home runs: a 3-RBI shot by Rodriguez; 3-RBI dinger by Eric Scott; and solo homers by Charlie Calamia and Josh Barnett.

"Our midget, mighty mouse shortstop Charlie Calamia, got two tonight, and that probably matched his season total," Moore said.

Calamia got his second HR in the fourth and Rodriguez nailed his second in the third. Jimmy Maxwell rounded out the Fuego shots with a 3-RBI dinger in the fifth. Santa Fe also got doubles from Bryson Sims, Rodriguez and pitcher Brian Hicks, with a total of 27 hits.

For all but two innings, Raton couldnt get anything off Fuego starter Rodriguez.

"Larry throws a lot of strikes and he makes a guy hit the ball," Moore said. "You cant stand there and watch the ball because Larry will strike you out. And once again, our defense played the way theyre supposed to. It was a good W for the Fuego."

It was another home run off Rodriguez that gave the Ososo their final three runs when Vincent Smarelli doubled, Adam Ziegler singled him in and Ryan Barban hit a two-run blast to make it 24-5.

New acquisition Brian Hicks (traded from Raton) pitched two innings, allowing only two hits.

"I think he performed well," Moore said. "I think he had a little bit of, "Ive got to show something to my teammates and he maybe he was trying to throw a little bit too hard. He got two outs and then he got a couple guys on base and I went out and I said, "Are you nervous? and he said, "Maybe a little bit. And I said, "What are you nervous about? Youre up 19 runs. Its not like youre going to lose this ball game unless you continue to walk guys. So why dont you just relax and have a little fun? He got it done, he went out the next inning and he pitched well."

Charlie Henjie wrapped up for Santa Fe, getting the Osos out 1-2-3 in the ninth.

Smarelli was the only Oso to have more than one hit, going 2-for-2 with one run scored.

Things get a lot tougher for both teams Saturday, as both will face the Pecos Leagues division leaders.

Raton will travel to Trinidad to face the 13-8 Triggers, while the Fuego host 18-6 Roswell. Still, Moore doesnt sound too concerned.

"According to all indications, (Roswell is) a very, very good ball club," he said. "I heard they do a lot of the same things we do. I heard they like to run, and hit and run. Put pressure on the other team. I heard they pitch very well. Were on a little roll right now and were ready to go. I think well hopefully play our best ball game tomorrow night and the team that played tonight for us is able to beat the team that plays tomorrow night if we continue to get better like that every night. Well be right there."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- After Game 2 of a four-game series between Santa Fe and Raton was washed out Wednesday in Raton, the teams moved to Santa Fe Thursday, and despite a valiant late-game try by the Osos, the Fuego made it two in a row, winning 12-10.

"We swung the bat pretty well," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore of the victory. "Probably the middle of the game, (Raton) brought a new guy out (Tim Sylvester) and I thought he pitched pretty well against us, but we finally kind of figured him out. We have a thing that we talk about frequently called an answer inning. And we did that all night long tonight. An answer inning is when the other team scores, we have to come in and get one back at least, and hopefully as many as they did or more."

That was pretty much what the Fuego did all night, coming back with enough to keep them close early, then go ahead late.

Raton manager Ray Hancock said the reason for the loss hasnt changed.

"Were still back to the same problem weve had, pitching," he said. "We just cant get past the third inning, bottom line. If we cant get our starting pitchers to go five, six, seven innings, its just hard for us to compete. Bottom line. Weve got the bats, which showed. We came back; we got 10 runs, but when we give away four, five, six runs in a couple of innings, were just battling from the very beginning."

Raton went up early on one of several home runs in long-ball friendly Fort Marcy Park. Westly Jones knocked in Travis Fuquay to take a 2-0 lead.

The Fuego answered back in the bottom of the stanza with a Josh Barnett single and Kyle Zimmerman RBI double, then the teams traded numbers in the second. The Osos scored one run on singles by Louie Saenz and Fuquay, while Santa Fe tied the game at 3-3 when Evan Mansill singled, Kellen Lee walked and both came in on a Barnett single.

The difference in the game might have been the third, when Fuego starter Josh White shut the Raton bats down, while Jordan Lehman couldnt do the same for the Osos. Santa Fe put up three runs when Jimmy Maxwell doubled; Larry Rodriguez reached on an error; Maxwell stole home; and Lee sent the ball out of the park to make it 6-3.

Both sides had two in the fourth.

Oso Steve Taft singled and came home on a Ryan Barban home run while Sylvester hit the first batter he faced and walked the next with both scoring on a two-out single by Maxwell. Sylvester and White kept the fifth and sixth scoreless, but the bats started up again in the seventh, with Raton getting three runs and Santa Fe four, stretching the lead to 12-8.

The Oso runs came in on three singles, a Matt Lynch RBI double and an error, while the Fuego runs came on a Maxwell double, followed by three walks, a hit batter and another walk. A.J. Martin couldnt get an out and while Richard Suniga did, a CHarlie Calamia single brought in the fourth run.

The Osos cut the margin a bit in the ninth, scoring on solo home runs by Fuquay and Michael Lange, but Charlie McCready got the final two outs and the save for Santa Fe.

Moore was happy with his starter, who got the win.

"He pitched well," the manager said. "He gave up a few more runs (than I would have liked.) I think he gave up a couple of cheap Fort Marcy home runs, but he pitched well. Hell certainly, five days from now, pitch again."

Hancock again was happy with his teams hitting, but even two new pitchers couldnt halt the problem the Osos have on the mound.

"Hittings going well," he said. "I do believe we have the best hitters in the league but you can only hit so much. Your pitching staff has to help. They have to do their job. And we just havent found the right combination yet."

The two teams will wrap up the shortened series -- Wednesdays rainout will be made up at the next Raton meeting -- Friday, and neither coach is looking to do much different.

"Basically, the same game plan, only work a little bit harder," Hancock said, noting 90 percent of his team is giving it all they have. "It bboils down to pitching. Without pitching, youre really starting from scratch. Its just tough."

No change, Moore said.

"I really hope not. I just really hope we attack them and put more points on the wall. Well just scuffle it out and see what happens."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

RATON -- The Osos came home Tuesday after a successful road trip, hoping to put together their first two-game win streak. But despite going up early, a big fourth inning by the visiting Fuego was too much for Raton to overcome, and they fell 11-8.

"Started out very well," said Raton manager Ray Hancock. "Willie Frederick pitched great through the first four innings. The ball seemed to find every little divot in the field. Hit a water sprinkler head. Hit a base. Had a couple of little flares that were completely off-the-wall type stuff that you wouldnt expect. They got five runs in the fourth, which hurt us, of course. Just couldnt catch up."

But before that, the Osos went up 5-0.

They scored one run of Santa Fe starter Kevin Camacho in the first when Stedman Smith walked, stole second and came home on a Matt Lynch single. The home squad had its biggest inning in the secind, putting up four runs.

Nicholas Hinojo singled, Frederick walked then Travis Fuquay hit a 2 RBI single followed by a Smith RBI single. The final run came in on a fly ball to center.

Santa Fes big inning came in the fourth with one out.

Larry Rodriguez walked; Evan Mansil, Anthony Welsh and Camacho each singled; then Charlie Calamia hit into a fielders choice, making it 5-3 Raton; then Bryson Sims singled and Josh Barnett doubled to knot the game at 5-5.

The Fuego took a lead they wouldnt relinquish in the sixth when Calamia reached on an error and scored on a Josh Barnett single. Barnett came home on singles by Kyle Zimmerman and Rodriguez.

Santa Fe added a solo run in the seventh when Camacho singled and scored on a swild pitch, Bryson Sims single and error. But the Osos closed the gap to 8-7 in the bottom of the inning, putting up two runs when Michael Lange and Lynch were both hit; A.J. Doyle singled to score Lange and Louie Saenz singled in Lynch.

The Fuego added a pair of runs in the eighth off Steve Taft when Zimmerman walked, Rodriguez singled and they came home on a wild pitch and put out; and got an insurance run in the ninth on a Sims double and Maxwell single.

Raton didnt go quietly, but just couldnt overcome the gap, scoring when Saenz hit a two-out single, Hinojo walked and Ryan Barban hit an RBI single.

Hancock did not seem unhappy with his teams play.

"(Santa Fe) played baseball, bottom line," he said. "We played baseball, too. We just got beat tonight. They came to play a little more than we did, as far as Im concerned, but we did play ball tonight."

Hinojo led the Osos offensively, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Saenz was 3-for-5 with one run and RBI and Fuquay 2-for-5 with a run. The Fuego out-hit Raton 18-11, led by Sims and Barnett, both 3-for-6; Rodriguez, 3-for-5; Welsh and Zimmerman 2-for-5; Maxwell 2-for-6; and winning pitcher Camacho 2-for-4 with one run and RBI.

The teams will be back in action Wednesday at Gabriele Field with a 7 p.m. start.

Santa Fe Fuego Baseball Team Announces Red Cross Night for relief to fires

Jun 5 2013 12:00AM

News Release

Santa Fe Fu

News Release

Santa Fe Fuego Baseball Team Announces Red Cross Night.

Event Takes Place Friday at Ft. Marcy Park

Santa Fe, NM-The Santa Fe Fuego baseball team has announced that Friday, June 7 is Red Cross Night when the team plays the Raton Osos.

Game time is 6 p.m. at Ft. Marcy Park. The team will donate a dollar from every ticket sold to The American Red Cross in New Mexico local disaster relief fund. This fund enables the Red Cross to respond to emergencies like the Tres Lagunas Fire in Pecos, where a Red Cross Shelter was opened to help the local community during the wildfire evacuations. While the shelter was open last weekend 340 meals, 500 snacks and 1000 bottles of water were distributed at the shelter site, community meetings, and the incident command operation and to firefighters.

The local Disaster Relief fund also makes it possible for the Red Cross Disaster Action Teams (DAT) to respond to home fires virtually every day in New Mexico. So far this week, five families in the state have received emergency assistance due to residential fires.

The Red Cross depends on the generosity of the American people to fulfill our mission. To help the Red Cross continue to save lives, contributions may be made to the American Red Cross Local Disaster Relief Fund by calling 1-800-560-2302. Contributions to the Local Disaster Relief Fund may also be sent to the American Red Cross in New Mexico by mail: American Red Cross in New Mexico, 7445 Pan American West Fwy. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109 or made online at www.redcrossnewmexico.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation"s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org

Media Contact:
Beverly L. Allen
Communications Coordinator
beverly.allen@redcross.org
(505) 220 3097
June 5, 2013

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

LAS VEGAS -- Two pitchers with solid early-season records squared off in Las Vegas Monday, and after all was said and done, it was Train Robber Atsushi Hebisawa who helped his team to an 8-5 victory over Austin Carden and Santa Fe.

While the home team scattered its runs across four innings, the Fuego had one big inning and a late solo run.

Singles by Matt Grosso, Randy Wells and Adam Kam and a double by Jon Hotta put the Robbers up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. A single by Wells and back-to-back doubles by TedLeMasters and A.J. Alexander made it 5-0 Robbers in the third, but a big Santa Fe inning in the fifth closed the gap.

With the first two batters out, the Fuego came alive, starting with singles by Bryson Sims and Charlie Calamia; an error by the Train Robber third baseman; a double by Jimmy Maxwell and another Vegas error.

But after that tough inning, both Hebisawa and the defense mostly settled down, allowing only one final Santa Fe run, in the ninth on another error. The Robbers added another two runs in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Wells and Will Walsh and a final run in the eighth when Hotta walked, stole second and came home on a Hebisawa single.

Asked to comment, Santa Fe coach Bill Moore was succinct.

"We have some issues we need to clean up. No excuses. The Train Robbers scored eight. We scored five. Bottom line."

He was mostly happy with Carden, blaming a lack of offense for the loss.

"He threw pretty well. Hes been better, but he threw pretty well. If we gave him a little bit more run support, maybe we could have kept him out there longer."

Gil Tussey came in in relief of Carden in the fifth.

Besides the game loss, the Fuego also suffered an injury to catcher Kellen Lee, who was hit on the wrist when a Vegas batter over-swung.

"Hes got a pretty good knot on there," Moore said. "I think Kellan, hes a tough guy. Hes a real tough guy. He went out there and finished the inning and I know he was hurting. Im going to give him a day off tomorrow regardless of what he tells me."

Santa Fe heads north to Raton to face the much-improved Osos, and Moore isnt too concerned.

"I expect well bounce back," he said. "I really expect well bounce back. I dont think this loss will dictate our season for us. I think its just a learning experience for us and something we can clean up and become a better baseball team because of it."

Las Vegas plays at home, but Taos will be the home team for games Tuesday and Wednesday at Rodriguez Park.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Las Vegas coach Casey Dill did not return calls for comment, and PointStreak statistics and play-by-play were not available for the game. Books provided by the Fuego helped with the story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

LAS VEGAS -- After a close loss to the Fuego in Santa Fe Saturday, Las Vegas gave its home fans a look at Edison Alvarez, who Train Robbers manager Casey Dill called "one of the best pitchers in the league."

So despite a good performance by Santa Fe pitcher Jon Sintes, Las Vegas made it 2-0 at home with a 5-3 victory.

"It was a well-played baseball game by both teams, much like last night," Dill said. "Both teams played solid baseball all the way around. The pitching was good tonight. The defense was solid by both teams and we were lucky enough to come out on top today."

"We played pretty good baseball," agreed Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "We just came up a little bit short. Ive got nothing negative to say about the club."

The Robbers drew first blood in the bottom of the second when Adam Kam and Ricky Brown each walked, Ted LeMasters singled to load the bases and Gary Stauff hit into an RBI out. Alvarez then helped his own cause with an RBI single.

The Fuego plated their first run in the third when Kyle Zimmerman, Jimmy Maxwell and Josh Barnett all singled, scoring Zimmerman.

Vegas came back with one in the bottom of the stanza when Randy Wells tripled and came home on a put out, then made it 5-1 in the fourth on two errors and singles by Haskell and Wells. But those were the last runs the Fuego gave up -- Sintes went seven complete and Charlie McCready one, holding the Robbers to only twwo more hits -- while Santa Fe chipped away at the lead.

The Fuego made it 5-2 in the sixth on an Eric Scott triple and putout; and 5-3 in the seventh when Charlie Calamia reached on a fielders choice and scored on a balk and error.

But he was the last runner to cross the plate, and both managers agreed that pitching was the story of the day.

"(Sintes) threw well," Moore said. "He threw eight complete innings and gave up four runs. Thats a very good outing. The other guy threw very well, Edison Alvarez, and they kind of battled each other a little bit and thats how baseball goes sometimes."

"(Alvarez) commands the zone," Dill said. "He throws strikes. He doesnt walk a lot of guys. Hes a legitimate affiliated prospect. His mound presence is huge. He doesnt get fazed by anything that goes on behind him. We did have a couple of errors behind him today. The score would have been a little bit different today if we catch those balls that got dropped. But hes just on to the next hitter. Pounds the strike zone with multiple pitches, and he has the stuff that if he can throw them for strikes and locate and we can play a little bit of defense behind him, were going to win when he pitches.

Both managers said they saw room for improvement on defense, and both coaches had praise for their hitters.

"Our hitters take good approaches," Dill said. "They take pitches they cant hit and they hit balls hard that are put in the strike zone. The wind held up a lot of balls today that maybe go out on most days, but our hitters are professional hitters from top to bottom."

"(Our hitting) was a little light," Moore said. "We didnt do what we wanted to do and I have to give Mr. Alvarez credit for that. He mixed it up. We never saw the same pitch twice in the same at bat. Hes a tough guy."

Two Robbers had multiple hits. Wells was 3-for-4 with one run and RBI while Ricky Brown was 2-for-3 with a run. Maxwell went 3-for-4 against Alvarez and reliever Chuck Fontana, who earned the save, while CAlamia was 2-for-4, one run; Kellen Lee 2-for-4; and Zimmerman 2-for-5, one run and RBI.

The teams meet again Monday in Las Vegas, and with Austin Carden on the mound for the Fuego and Atsushi Hebisawa for Vegas, both managers are thinking positive.

"If we can win tomorrow we win the series, and if we keep winning series, well be a playoff team," Moore said

"Whenever the Trains Robbers and Fuego get together, I expect a good ball game, and I expect nothing less for tomorrow night," Dill said.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE --�Saturdays game between Santa Fe and Las Vegas in Fort Marcy Park featured 29 runs, 35 hits -- including nine home runs -- and 13 pitchers. It was, said Santa Fe coach Bill Moore, "a great baseball game. I like to joke about it and call it a typical Fort Marcy pitchers duel."

And with all those hits, home runs and pitchers, the game came down to oe run in the bottom of the eighth that gave the Fuego a 15-14 victory over the Train Robbers.

The game went back and forth all night.

Las Vegas went up 1-0 after one and held that lead after two, when both teams picked up a trio of runs, making it 4-3.

The FUego retook the lead in the bottom of the third with four runs; SAnta Fe matched that in the top of the fifth then Santa Fe came back with five in the bottom of the stanza, keeping them on top 12-8.

Special mention should go to pitcher Kelby Langston (Santa Fe) and Eddie Medina (Las Vegas) as the fifth was one of only two innings that saw no runs scored on either side. (The other was the seventh, which saw Medina and Chuck Fontana combine for Las Vegas, while Jerome Romero kept the Robbers off the board.)

The seventh inning again tied things up, with Las Vegas picking up six runs on six hit -- home runs by Chris Wilson and Will Walsh helped the cause -- and Santa Fe coming back in the bottom of the inning with two more to tie the game at 14-all.

The seventh inning was scoreless and Nick Huff kept it that way for Santa Fe in the top of the eighth. But the Fuego got the only run the really needed in the bottom of the stanza, when Josh Barnett advanced on a dropped third strike. Charlie Calamia walked, then, after a double steal, Huff walked and Michael Kershner came in for Las Vegas, walking Bryson Sims to bring in the winning run in a somewhat anticlimactic manner.

Kershner got Devonte Odums to strike out, but Jared Bowser closed the door on the Train Robbers with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.

"Our pitching came out of the bullpen and I thought we were pretty dang good," Moore said. "Our starter just kind of had a tough night, but the guys came in and picked him up and gave us a chance to come back and do business."  Offensively, the big hits came from both teams.

Randy Wells hit a two-run shot for Las Vegas in the second while Larry Rodriguez got a solo homer for the Fuego in the bottom of the inning, and Kellen Lee got a 2 RBI shot in the same stanza.

Jimmy Maxwell hit a three-run shot for Santa Fe in the third, and Wells got his second of the night in the fourth, bringing home three Robbers.

Sims got his second ever homer in the bottom of the fourth --�"This one he hit with a little more authority. I think he hit it out against the wind, so maybe hes in the weight room or something between starts,"Moore laughed -- and Larry Rodriguez got his second of the night.

The two Train Robber homers in the sixth were the final balls that left the park Saturday, but they certainly werent the last hits.

Las Vegas had 16 hits and Santa Fe 19, with doubles by Odums, Rodriguez and pinch hitter Eric Scott.

"Little kudos to Eric Scott," Moore said. "Hes been scuffling with the bat and this is three consecutive games that hes had a pinch hit base hit."

After going through seven pitchers, the Fuego also ran out of pinch hitters and had to let a Huff in the bottom of the eighth.

"We got lucky. We had first and second with two outs and they walked the guy. Wow! Thank you," Moore said.

One pinch hitter who didnt get a hit was Anthony Welsh, who Moore said was robbed by weather.

"The hardest ball hes hit all year and the wind caught it and held it up and he was out."

And, with only one errir on each side, the defense was solid as well.

"Fuego played very good defense another night in a row," Moore said. "I think we had one double play that was critical in the game. Our second baseman, Kyle Zimmerman, made two exceptional plays in the middle of rallies that kind of took them out of the ball game a little bit."

And Moore had nothing but kind words for the opposition.

"Theyre a good baseball team. Ive said it before, Casey Dill is just a terrific manager. He puts a good product out on the field and typically speaking, youve got to beat them. Theyre not going to beat themselves. They gave us a couple of runs late in the game which really helped us out, but thats a little uncharacteristic of them, I think."

Barring another smoke postponement -- the Tres Lagunas fire continues to burn between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, with zero containment as of early Sunday morning -- the teams will meet Sunday on Rodriguez Field in Vegas at 4 p.m. Moore expects another close match.

"I expect were going to have to play well to get a W up there," he said. "Thats a good ball club. And were going to have to beat them instead of waiting for them to beat themselves."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Tres Lagunas fire postpones Santa Fe/Las Vegas Game

Jun 1 2013 12:00AM

Smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire dr

Smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire drifts over the lights at Rodriguez Field Friday, forcing the postponement of the game between Las Vegas and Santa Fe.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- A wildfire in San Miguel County -- of which Las Vegas, N.M. is the county seat -- prompted a somewhat unusual postponement Friday.

The Pecos League baseball game between the Train Robbers and Fuego at Rodriguez Park in Las Vegas was postponed indefinitely, with a makeup date to be decided later.

League commissioner Andrew Dunn said heavy smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire was the main reason for the change, but the fire itself has prompted numerous evacuations near the villages of Pecos and Tres Lagunas, about 25 miles east of Santa Fe and 30 miles west of Las Vegas.

The fire, which was started Thursday by a downed power line, doubled in size Friday and was totally uncontained. That prompted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to declare a state of emergency in San Miguel County to free up state funds to fight the fire.

The teams are scheduled to play at Fort Marcy Park Saturday with a 6 p.m. start, and there has been no word on what will happen with Sundays game, again set for Rodriguez Park.

For More Information on the fire See ABQJournal.com coverage.

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- SAnta Fe broke a small skid Thursday with a big win over Trinidad, pounding the Triggers 18-7 in a game that saw only two scoreless innings for the Fuego.

"I feel elated," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "I feel like we turned around a streak. We were on a little three-game slide and we certainly stopped that and here we go the other direction for a few games, I hope."

Play-by-play and accurate stats were not available, but the box score shows that while the Fuego were hitting Trigger starter Zach Leitten hard, Fuego hurler Kevin Camacho was shutting Trinidad down.

"Kevin was pretty damn good," Moore said. "He threw strikes. He pounded, pounded, pounded at the strike zone. He gave up runs in the fifth inning, I think he cave up four runs, if my memory is good, which it isnt, we came right back in and got five right back. Its called an answer-up inning. When the other team scores, you have to come in and do it, too. We were able to do that the two innings that they scored."

The only two innings where the Triggers scored were the sixth and eighth. The visitors put up four in the sixth and Santa Fe matched that and added one in the bottom of the stanza; and three in the eighth, when the Fuego did the same thing.

Trinidad manager J.D. Droddy didnt sound too disappointed with the loss.

"We had our lunch handed to us today. It happens," he said. "I told our team, this counts as one loss just as though we lost 2-1, so to forget about it. We may get beat this bad again. In this league, it happens. We lost our focus today. Despite giving up 18 runs, I thought we pitched pretty well. We just didnt give them any support behind them."

Leitten gave up seven runs through five, but one declared error and a few mental mistakes made things worse than they could have been, Droddy said.

"He didnt have his best stuff. He had velocity on his fast ball. It wasnt moving too much. Had a really nasty slider. But he pitched well enough to have gotten out of it in a lot better shape than he did."

The home-run friendly Fort Marcy Park surrendered three shots Thursday: Bryce Miler had one for Trinidad whole Devonte Odums and Bryson Sims sent balls sailing for Santa Fe.

Sims shot was his first outside of spring training, and Moore laughed when asked about the shot.

"What I expected from Bryson when we broke camp was to be a day-off guy," the manager said. "When we needed to give somebody a day off, Bryson would go out and play adequately and perform well. I dont know what to do with him now. Hes been in the lineup five, six games in a row and hes hitting the ball well and playing good defense. I think maybe Brysons earned himself an everyday spot for a while."

With the game well out of hand in the ninth, Droddy gave two reserves time at the plate. James Hall, who was celebrating his birthday, and Calen Hindricks, both got a chance to hit.

"Both reserves, but it was an opportunity," Droddy said. "They want to play too and they work hard and they deserved it."

Trinidad now heads home to face Taos, while Santa Fe travels to Las Vegas. Both series are first-time matchups in the Pecos League, and Moore sounds excited to make the hour drive up the road.

"I expect a great series," he said. "(Train Robber manager) Casey Dill is one of my favorite managers. I think the little rascal can coach a ball club. I think he puts good players on the field and manages them to give them the best opportunity to win. If they execute, were in for a battle. Period."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe is known as a hitters paradise. A high-scoring park where balls naturally fly out, especially over the short right-field fence. So to see a 4-3 game there says a lot about both teams pitching. And thats exactly what happened Wednesday, as the Triggers topped the Fuego 4-3.

"I feel good," said Trinidad manager J.D. Droddy. "The Fuego have given us three really, really good games. Its the kind of game thats real baseball, as I heard someone say a little while ago. Not typical Pecos League games at all. It was what? 4-3 and we had to shut the door in the ninth inning with our super closer, Benji Waite. It was just a great game. Good play on both sides."

"Were pitching very well," agreed Fuego manager Bill Moore. "Last three games, I think weve throw the ball as well as we have all summer long. Were just not getting the big hits."

Neither side got the big hits Wednesday, as the only multi-base hit was a double by Trigger Matt Hunt. Trinidad just managed to scrape out that one extra run.

"Hitters did well," Droddy said of his squad. "(Larry) Rodriguez pitched a very good game, but we got some hits and we got a lead. He kept Santa Fe in it. Rodriguez is an outstanding pitcher. Not a bad hitter, either. It was just a fun game to watch."

Moore wasnt quite as happy with his offense, noting Santa Fe was 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

"Thats tough. Youve got to get big players to make big hits, and the last night weve not been able to do that. Were going to shuffle the deck, deal them out again tomorrow and see what happens."

The first run came in the top of the first when Matt Hunt reached on one error and scored on another. The next runs didnt come until the fifth, when both teams scored.

Trinidad put up one run when Jason Venya reached on an error, advances on a Wink Nolan single and came home on an out.

The Fuego got their first run off Trigger Chris Shaklee, who gave up a Bryson Sims single. Sims then stole second, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Josh Barnett.

It was Shaklees first start of the season, coming out of the bullpen with limited pitches, and Droddy said he threw a great game.

Trinidad got another run in the sixth, scoring on back-to-back two-out singles by Mike Goldy and Nolen and walks to Venya and Richie Serritella. That walked-in run sent Rodriguez to the showers, but Josh White closed out the stanza without any more damage.

The Triggers added their final run in the seventh when White walked Hunt, then Charlie McCready allowed a Sam DiMatteo single and Hunt scored on an out.

But then it was Trinidads turn to sweat as Santa Fe came back with runs in the eighth and ninth.

With one out in the eight, Jimmy Maxwell walked, went to second and third on wild pitches by Dylan Porter, then scored when Kyle Zimmerman singled. Santa Fe closed the gap in the ninth when Sims and Barnett both walked, then moved up a base on a balk by Benji Waite. A putout scored Sims, but Waite knuckled down, getting a final strikeout to end the close game.

The big difference in the game were the Fuego errors.

"We had good, solid pitching from every guy who went out there," Moore said. "The four that they put up, I think only one was earned. We made some errors. We dropped a couple of fly balls. Both of those runs scored. We bobbled a throw. That run scored. When youre scuffling with the bat, its hard to give away runs."

Droddy also wasnt quite as happy with his defense as he was with other parts of the game.

"We were not up to par on defense," he said. "Weve struggled a little bit. I tried to build the team on speed and defense. The speeds there. The defense, we still have a little bit of work to do. This field plays a little different than the ones weve been playing the last few games. I know White Sands, their field is really hard, and the ball bounces a whole lot differently than it does here, for example. And ours at home is somewhat in between. We still have some work to do on defense, but were getting there."

The win is the fourth in a row for Trinidad, and third in a row over Santa Fe. Droddy said hell throw fast-ball pitcher Zach Leiten Thursday, with the goal the same as always.

"We always expect to win and tomorrows no exception," he said. "We do realize well probably lose a game or two before this 70 game season is over, but every time we take the field we expect to win."

Moore is still considering how hell tweak his lineup to get back on the winning side of things.

"Im taking a good long look at the scorebooks and seeing if maybe I can shake it up a little bit. I dont know. I havent made up my mind yet."

First pitch is 6 p.m. at Fort Marcy.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Triggers again edge Fuego with pitching

May 29 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

TRINIDAD, Colo. -- For the second day in a row, Trinidad eked out a close victory over Santa Fe, winning 7-5 after a last-inning comeback try by the Fuego.

"We played well," said Trigger manager J.D. Droddy. "We got six great innings out of Chris Tuttle. He threw exactly 100 pitches, so he was just right on schedule for six innings. Which is more than he usually throws."

Tuttle, who got the win, got a little roughed up in the first, when, with one out, Charlie Calamia reached on an error, advanced on a Devonte Odums single and fielders choice, the scored on a passed ball. Kyle Zimmerman then singled in Larry Rodriguez to put Santa Fe up 2-0.

But the Trggers matched that in the bottom of the stanza when Jacob Fabry walked, Sam DiMattero singled and Frank Florio hit an RBI single. DiMatteo scored when Mike Goldy hit into a fielders choice.

For the next two innings, Tuttle and Austin Carden, who started for the Fuego, kept the hitters off board. Trinidad took a lead in the bottom of the fourth when Andrew Azzopardi got his first home run of the season. The Triggers made it 4-2 in the fifth when Fabry singled, advanced on two out then came home on a Goldy single, but Santa Fe closed the gap in the sixth on an error and two outs.

One of only two Trinidad errors, "It was really a team win. We played good defense," Droddy said. "We played much better on both sides of the ball tonight."

Offensively, they plated another two runs in the sixth when Jason Venya walked, Richie Serritella and Matt Hunt singled, Hunt getting and RBI, and DiMatteo doubled in Serritella.

Brandon Jourdan came in to get the final out, then Austin Parker gave Azzopardi his second RBI of the day when he doubled in Wink Nolan, who had singled.

The reliever -- Charlie McCready for Santa Fe and Levi Austin, shut the opposition down in the eighth but the Fuego tried to take advantage of the Triggers newest thrower in the ninth.

Austin walked Zimmerman and Bryson Sims, hit Chris Carrera, then threw a wild pitch that scored Zimmerman. He got his first two outs on strike outs, but then gave up an RBI single to Calamia before getting Odums to fly out to right.

"He pitched three good innings, throwing 90-93 miles an hour all night," Droddy said of his reliever. "We had a little bit of a control issue but not too bad for his first outing."

The manger said Austin came in at a good time, when team needed him, and will probaby pitch one more game out of bullpen before moving into the starting rotation.

With Austin in the lineup, Droddy sounds positive about his starting lineup.

"Chris Tuttle and Tony Smith have just been rock solid," he said. "Its Chris third win since May 28."

Offensively, DiMatteo, Goldy and Azzopardi each had two hits for the Triggers. SAnta Fe only had four hits from four different batters.

Wednesday, the action moves to Fort Marcy Park, which Droddy laughingly described as "The pitchers favorite place to throw."

First pitch is at 6 p.m.

Trinidad win pitchers duel with 3-2 victory over Santa Fe

May 28 2013 12:00AM

Trigger"s Anthony Smith slides into

Trigger"s Anthony Smith slides into third base safe but was called out by the infield umpire. (Photo by Marty Mayfield)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

TRINIDAD, Colo. -- Santa Fe came back to Trinidad for the first time in the 2013 season, and both the Trigger and Fuego pitchers threw masterful games, with the home town squeaking out a 3-2 victory.

"It was a well-played baseball game," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "They out-hit us tonight. I thought the pitching was very good from both clubs. Their guy, Tony Smith, threw very well. I think he had nine strikeouts. And our guy, John Sintes, just battled him pitch for pitch. And we just got out hit."

"Tony Smith continues to just be rock solid," agreed Trinidad manager J.D. Droddy. "He pitched a five hitter. Went eight innings. Gave up two runs. James Coon, whos been injured and is still not 100 percent, but hes the best we had in the bullpen and he came in and shut them down with his injured arm."

And thats pretty much the story.

There were no runs and only one hit in the first 2-1/2 innings. In the bottom of the third, Smith and Matt Hunt both singled. (Another example of pitchers hitting well in the Pecos League.) Jacob Fabry reached on a fielders choice and Sam DiMatteo brought in Hunt with a single then Fabry scored on a ground out.

The Fuego got their first run in the fourth when Devonte Odums singled, then, with two outs, Jimmy Maxwell walked and Kyle Zimmerman doubled in Odums.

The nights third story, according to Droddy, was Jason Venya, who returned to the Trigger lineup. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Venya homered, making it 3-1 Trinidad.

"He got the night off to a good start," Droddy said. "In his second at bat, he hit a home run which turned out to be the difference in the game. We are so pleased to have Jason back. Were thrilled to have Tony pitching like he does and Im really proud of James Coon, gutting it out with a hurt arm, and he ended up striking out the last batter to put it away."

But before that, Smith went eight, allowing only one more run, a home run by Odums in the eighth. Sintes went the distance for Santa Fe, giving up three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts, then Coon set the Fuego down 1-2-3 in the ninth for the save.

The other highlight of the game was defense, as both teams played almost error-free ball.

"There was one error combined between the two teams," Moore said. "Our second baseman had a ground ball that he booted. It didnt hurt us. Just baseball."

The division rivals meet again Tuesday at Central Park, and Moore is looking for another strong pitching performance.

"Austin Cardens on the hill for us tomorrow night, and Austins been very good the last two times out," he said. "Hes 2-0, and I dont know the exact number but I think his ERA has gotta be right at 3.00, which if you hold a team to three runs, it gives you a pretty good chance to win. I expect well come out. Weve been here before. Weve lost the first game of a series and come back and taken care of business. And I expect the same from our guys."

First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Santa Fe and Taos continued their back-and-forth at Fort Marcy Park Sunday, with the Fuego evening the series at 2-2 with a 19-14 victory over the Blizzard.

The win also knotted the two teams at 6-6 in the Pecos League North standings with both teams heading into first-time series with division rivals.

While absolutely no statistical information or play-by-play was available on Sundays game, the coaches discussed it afterwards, giving some insight into what happened.

Taos jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first, meaning Santa Fe had to battle back from the get-go.

"It was a hard-fought victory," said Fuego manager Bill Moore. "We kind of spotted them several runs and I was not a very happy man for about three innings and we finally got Derrick Sampel out of the bullpen and he started doing some business on the hill for us. But, tough way to come back, you keep spotting runs and making the offense challenged all night."

The Fuego picked up three runs in the bottom of the stanza and then slowly chipped away at the lead, something Taos manager Matt Leahy said was because of the balls.

"Our pitcher came out, started strong, but with the balls we used in this series, which are different from any other series, the laces are a lot higher and our pitcher developed a blister early, which meant he had to come out and they pretty much caught us with our pants down. It wont happen again," he said.

Leahy wasnt making excuses, but said things happen in small-town baseball.

"We shouldnt have been using those balls. Rawlings sent Santa Fe the wrong balls, so it is what it is. It happens. It doesnt happen in the big leagues, but welcome to the Pecos League, again. At the end of the day you chalk it up to it wasnt the balls fault."

Moore said a big part of the reason for the comeback is team speed.

"I said in our team post-game meeting, that this team was built with speed in mind. And weve got six guys in our lineup who have a green light without me doing anything. Just go when you want to. And when we walk a lot of guys and give up early runs like that, its hard for us to use our strength, which I believe is speed."

The Fuego did use that speed to build up a nine run lead before the Blizzard again battled back in the eighth. One thing both coaches agreed on what that the defense was tight throughout.

"We played good defense tonight until the eighth inning and we started to do more than were capable of," Moore said. "I think I told a story about slowing down at the post-game meeting. You try to do more than youre capable of, youre not going to do what youre capable of, usually."

"Real tight," Leahy agreed. "Its been tight over the course of the season. Thats what we pride ourselves on. Ground balls, double plays. When we can turn them we want to turn them."

Taos now heads home to take on Las Vegas in a noon matchup Monday, and while Leahy knows the Train Robbers have been improving as the early season goes on, hes still hoping his team can use its high-altitude field to power them to victory.

"All in all, theyve been struggling in the bullpen like us," he said. "So well make the changes accordingly and hopefully still strive to put up as many runs as we can and keep them to as little runs as we can."

Santa Fe heads north to Trinidad, where Moores goals are simple.

"Good baseball. Lets just get after them right away," he said.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Taos second game as the home team at Fort Marcy Park ended pretty much like the first one did, but without quite as many fireworks from the Blizzard batters. Taos topped the Fuego 11-6, but both coaches were pretty happy with what they saw.

"We played pretty good baseball," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "Our starting guy pitched pretty well. We made some mental errors and they were probably the difference in the ball game."

"I feel pretty great," agreed Taos manager Matt Leahy. "Our pitchers came in; we got over some speed bumps. Threw strikes; threw first-pitch strikes and, you know, our bats came in in a timely manner, scored runs and stole, not as many bases as I would like, as I can ever like, but we stole enough and got some runs across early."

Play-by-play and accurate stats were not available, but Taos jumped up 2-0 in the first when Khyle Dimino reached on a fielders choice, scored on a double by Cody Coffman and Coffman came home on singles by Chris Costantino and Brennan May.

The Blizzard made it 3-0 in the second when pitcher Luis Gonzales singled and scored, but Santa Fe took the lead in the third, scoring on an error, hit batter, fielders choice, single by Devonte Odums and three-run home run by Larry Rodriguez.

The Fuego stretched the lead to 5-3 in the top of the fifth when Bryson Sims walked and came home on an Odoms single and out. Leahy said starter Eric Berkowitz did well.

"He got into the fifth then just kind of ran out of gas. Any time you get up in the 80, 90, 100 pitches in the fifth its just too many. So he dealt pretty well until then. Started giving up some runs and we brought in the reinforcements."

Those reinforcements made sure the lead was short-lived, they shut down the Fuego for all but one inning as Taos added two more in the bottom of the next four innings.

Coffman and May both homered for the Blizzard, May twice, giving him a 4-for-5 day with two runs and 3 RBI. Costantino and Dimino were each 3-for 5; John Apostolo and Coffman 2-for-5; and Richardson 2-for-4. Kellen Lee and Sims were both 2-for-3 for Santa Fe.

Camacho was a new starter for Santa Fe, and he pitched well enough to stick around, Moore said.

"He pitched very well. He threw a lot of strikes. I thought he did a good job for us. I invited him to pitch for us for the rest of the summer if he continues to perform like he did. I had a hole in the pitching rotation that I wrote down on the dugout wall tonight and I put him in. Hes a good guy."

And, with only three errors by each team, both coaches were fairly happy with their defense.

"We did pretty well," Leahy said. "We threw the ball around a little bit. We had a double-play ball where it hit the water spigot in the infield. Ive never seen that before in professional baseball, but welcome to the Pecos League. We recovered, we did well."

"Mostly OK," Moore said. "We dropped a couple of balls in the outfield and we made just some mental mistakes in the infield. We didnt play as crisp as we need to to finish a game off."

The teams will wrap up their four-game series Sunday with Santa Fe again becoming the home team, and Moore said hell be starting Freezy Smalls, the pitcher who broke the Fuegos last two-game loss string.

"(Were going to) come out and try to get even in the series and go 2-2 and move forward," the manager said. "Were not going to make any drastic changes or anything and quite honestly, weve had a couple of two-game losing streaks and come back and had two-game winning streaks. Im not afraid of anything that were doing or that weve done. I think well come back out and give it a good competitive game again tomorrow."

Leahy, whose team now sits third in the tough southern division, said his team just wants to keep scoring.

"Im trying to put 30 runs across, and I wont be satisfied until we do it five or six times. Thats what were striving to do."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Taos hitters demolish Santa Fe

May 25 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Even though the Fridays game between Santa Fe and Taos was played at Fort Marcy Park, the Blizzard were the home team -- giving them the often-important home-field advantage on the road because they have so few games at the Tundra.

But Friday, that home-field advantage really didnt matter, as Taos pummeled the Fuego 24-9 to again even up the series at 3-3 between the two teams.

And the game wasnt even that close most of the way, as the Blizzard led 18-2 after six and only had one scoreless inning.

"We beat up Santa Fe pretty good," said Taos manager Matt Leahy. "Javier Perez, left-handed pitcher, threw great. Kept them off balance all night. Kept some of their better hitters off balance and kept them guessing the whole night."

Three other Taos pitchers didnt have quite as good a performance -- giving up seven runs in the seventh and eighth -- but Russ Burroughs came in and got the final out of the eighth then shut the Fuego down in the ninth.

It would take a novel to run through the games play-by-play; needless to say Taos hit well while the Fuego pitchers didnt throw so well.

"We just didnt throw enough strikes," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "Our defense played well, but our pitchers didnt give them an opportunity to play well often enough. We hit enough to probably certainly make it a more competitive game than what it was. I kind of have to take that loss on myself. I was letting a couple of new guys come in and see if they were going to be able to help us win, and I just didnt hook them and get them out soon enough. Thats on me."

The defense was solid on both teams, with only one error -- by the Fuego -- recorded.

Starter Gil Tussey didnt even get an out in the first before he was pulled, giving up five runs on three hits and three walks. Reliever Brandon Kuter did close out the inning, but not before allowing another run to make it 6-0 Blizzard after one. Of the three hits in the first, one was a home run by Khyle Dimino and the other two doubles by Chris Constantino and Brennan May.

Perez had a little bit of trouble in the second, allowing one Fuego run when Kyle Zimmerman and Joe Blair both singled and Zimmerman came in on a balk.

Taos added three runs in the bottom of the stanza -- highlighted by a May home run -- two in the third; and one each in the fourth and fifth -- Constantino hit one out for the second Blizzard home run of the night.

Perez gave up one more Santa Fe run in the sixth, walking Devonte Odums who stole second and third then came home on a Jimmy Maxwell single.

But even though Leahy started to substitute liberally -- he had 22 players in the lineup Friday -- Taos continued to hit.

Pinch hitter Jordan Chiero had a 2 run home run while pinch hitter Adam Dimino, Khyles brother had a 3 RBI dinger. The Diminos are from Leahys home town and attended the same junior college he did, so the manager was especially pleased with that effort.

"Its pretty cool to have the guys, especially those boys, do well, because of coming from the same program," he said. Its also possible the first time brothers hit home runs in the same game in the Pecos League.

That gave Taos the 18-2 lead and in the seventh, to save Perez for another performance in four or five days, Leahy pulled him and three relivers didnt do quite as well.

Although the Fuego didnt get any home runs, they added two runs in the seventh on three hits -- singles by Blair, Bryson Sims and Josh Barnett -- several walks and wild pitches, and five in the eighth on two hits -- singles by Sims and Odums -- and a lot of wildness.

But Burroughs came in to get the final out in the eighth and after Taos added another six runs in the bottom of the stanza, he allowed only a double by Sims in the ninth before closing out the game.

"All-in-all, we did well," Leahy understated. "Well get back up on the horse tomorrow. Hopefully put up some more runs against Santa Fe and stop this flip-flop stuff between Santa Fe. Because I know were a better team than weve been showing."

And Moore sounded confident his team will bounce back.

"Were a good ball club and its a long summer and well probably lose another game before its all said and done but well compete. Well be fine tomorrow," he said.

The Fuego will start another newcomer, Kevin Camacho, from the Los Angeles area who was a Toronto draft pick.

"Hope he can help us out," Moore said.

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- The Pecos League saw another complete game Thursday, this time from Santa Fe pitcher Austin Carden, who went the distance in topping the Blizzard 8-3. That victory also gave the Fuego a first: the first time in the teams history they had a winning record (5-4).

"Its great," enthused Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "Good team to beat, and I dont mean that from a negative standpoint. Theyre a good ball club and we came out on the top end and it put us in a situation weve never been in before and its wonderful."

"Me and Bill have been wanting this for the last almost two years now," agreed assistant coach Chunk Sarnak, whos leaving the Fuego temporarily to manage the Pecos Developmental League. "This is great to have. A good feeling. Everyones positive. Everybodys doing what theyre supposed to. The wins are coming. Its a great feeling."

Carden, who in his last start went 8.1 inning and allowed only one hit, allowed nine hits, but scattered them across six innings while striking out six.

"He threw three ground-ball double plays tonight which was huge," Moore said. "That kept his pitch count down, and it gave him an opportunity to get into the later innings. And he threw very well."

The Fuego went up 1-0 in the first off a lead-off double by Josh Barnett, who scored on two outs.

Taos took the lead in the top of the second when Chris Constantino walked and Cody Coffman homered. But that was the last run the Blizzard would get until the ninth; meanwhile, the Fuego went up for good in the third with four runs off Taos starter Drew Evans.

After Anthony Welsh walked, Bryson Sims singled and three runs scored on a Josh Barnett home run. Charlie Calamia then walked and came around on a stolen base and two outs.

Santa Fe added three insurance runs in the fifth, plating Josh Barnett and Jimmy Maxwell on a two-out Maxwell home run followed by a solo shot by Chris Wakefield.

Four Taos relievers -- Mike Russo, Mike Londino, Kenny McDowall and Sam Briend -- shut the Fuego down the rest of the way, but the Blizzard only managed one more run: on a Constantino double that scored Blair Springfield in the ninth.

Carden was happy with the win.

"I feel great," he said. "It always feels great to give my team a chance to win and anything I can do and hopefully we can keep winning from here."

Taos manager Matt Leahy didnt like the loss, but again saw positives.

"Seems like its the same story," he said. "They come in and they hit the long ball and they put up runs early then were able to shut them down but tonight it was just we werent able to score too many runs late, and when you score that many runs early, like Santa Fe did, you tip your hat."

Leahy praised starter Drew Evens, who, he said, only threw three bad pitches.

"He did very well," the manager said. "We chalked it up to three different pitches he missed on locations, and unfortunately in this park, those three different spots ended up over the creek and in the woods. So it is what it is, and if you were to tell me this morning that our starting pitcher would have only missed three pitches the whole time he pitched, Im still proud of him. At the end of the day he did well and hell get out on the bump in five days."

Both teams also played solid defense, with no errors officially recorded.

"Everybody played pretty good D tonight," Moore said. "Our catcher threw a couple of guys out. Theyre an aggressive team and when they get a guy on base theyre going to get some action out of it and we kind of shut that down tonight. And you gotta go back to Carden. Carden held the runners and he made them earn what they got."

"We pride ourselves on defense," Leahy said. "Obviously, the long ball makes for high-scoring games. Weve become accustomed to that. But our defense is something we pride ourselves on thatll get us to the next level."

The teams will meet again Friday for the sixth time this season, and for the next two games at Fort Marcy, Taos will be the home team. Because they have only 14 games in Taos, they get the final at bat numerous times while on the road. Neither coach plans on doing anything different, though.

"Same plan as it was today," Leahy said. "We get a good strong pitching performance. Get him through the fifth. Couple of pinch hit home runs and hopefully put up more runs than Santa Fe at the end of the day."

Moore will be starting Gil Tussey, who was good for five inning the last time out before he tired.

"Weve got a bunch of guys in the bullpen who are trying to get an inning or two and I hope Gil keeps them in the bullpen tomorrow," the manager said.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Fuego nip Osos in series closer

May 23 2013 12:00AM

The short right field in Fort Marcy

The short right field in Fort Marcy Park was a big reason for all the home runs in Wednesday"s game between Santa Fe and Raton. (Photo by Andrew Dunn)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Once again, Santa Fe and Raton played a very close match in Fort Marcy Park Wednesday, and, once again, the Fuego came out on top by one, this time 6-5.

One big Santa Fe inning made the difference, as for the most part, the starting pitchers did their jobs and the home-run friendly park contributed to more than half of the total runs.

"My guys played very well," said Fuego manager Bill Moore. "Jonathan Sintes threw a very, very good, maybe a career game. He threw 107 pitches, perhaps, and he got into the ninth inning. (Jared) Bowser came in and did what he gets the big bucks for and closed it out and we take a W home."

And even though they lost, Raton manager Ray Hancock sounded a lot happier with his team than the day before, when he promised changes if the team didnt straighten up.

"Their mentality changed. That happens when they get threatened with death," he laughed. "Not that I threatened them with death, but they got the message. I brought on my bench players tonight. They actually done a very good job. Im extremely happy, extremely proud of them because some of them have been sitting on the bench for a week. Havent sen the field. My boy that catches for me in the bullpen (Adam Ziegler) actually came out of the bullpen, hit a home run. The first one for him this year."

Santa Fe went up 1-0 in the first when Charlie Calamia singled, went to third on a Jimmy Maxwell single and a walk, and scored when Eric Scott was hit.

The Osos went up 2-1 in the top of the second when Zach Kreegar hit a two-run home run. Santa Fe had its big inning in the fifth, with Josh Barnett, Devonte Odoms and Maxwell all hitting solo home runs, and Scott singling and coming home on back-to-back singles by Kyle Zimmerman and Chris Wakefield.

Louie Saenz doubled to open the sixth and scored on put out, closing the gap to 5-3, but Raton didnt go quietly. In the top of the ninth, Doyle singled and came around on Zieglers home run. Matt Lynch then doubled to put the tying run on base, but Bowser closed out the game with two strikeouts, and pinch runner Steadman Smith was caught stealing for the final out.

Still, Hancock liked what he saw.

"I feel good about it because I learned a lot from my players. It shows we do have grit and were not going to give up. And I can go to my bench when I have to to move forward. Sometime you have to use your bench and tonight proved we can use our bench and probably be successful. So I have no problem."

Both teams are home for their next series. Raton will fave Las Vegas while Santa Fe will get a second series vs. Taos.

"I anticipate a pretty good game," Hancock said. "At the beginning of the season I thought that team was stacked. Theyve had like five losses, I guess, but I still consider them to be stacked and Im sure theyre looking forward to coming up there and playing us."

As for his plans vs. the Blizzard, "(Were going to) come out, hit early, have a little fun and see what happens," Moore said.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- After two identical six-run losses in Raton, the Fuego came home to host the Osos Tuesday, pulling off a late-game 8-7 victory.

The difference, said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore, came from all areas of the game.

"Our starting pitcher, Freezy Small, first time with us, he threw a lot of strikes," Moore said. "We walked a few guys, but it wasnt to the extent that it was up there and I think our defenders played a little better and we got clutch hits, which we didnt up in Raton."

The game was pretty evenly back-and-fourth through six innings.

Both teams scored in the second -- Raton on a Michael Lange single, two passed balls and a put out and the Fuego on two walks and a Kyle Zimmerman single -- the the Osos took the lead in the fourth.

Logan Morello started things off with a walk, Louie Saenz singled and Lange doubled, then Saenz came home on an out. Raton made it 4-1 in the fifth when Travis Fuquay singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a Steadman Smith single.

But Santa Fe closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the stanza when Larry Rodriguez hit a two out double, Jimmie Maxwell and Eric Scott walked and Zimmerman singled in two.

Brian DelRosso tripled in A.J. Doyle in the top of the sixth, but the Fuego tied the game in the bottom of the stanza. Pinch hitter Chris Wakefield walked and Josh Barnett and Charlie Calamia both doubled, tying the game at 5-5. By this time, both starters -- Dustin Javins started for Raton --were gone, with Anthony Welsh in for Santa Fe and DelRosso for Raton.

Welsh struck out Smith, the first batter he faced, but a dropped third strike put Smith on base and he came around to score on singles by Saenz and Lange. DelRosso allowed a lone single in the in the bottom of the seventh, but wasnt so lucky in the eighth.

After Rodriguez moved from first to pitcher and shut Raton down in the eighth, CHarlie Calamia again tied the game, using one swing to send the ball out of the park. After Devante Odoms doubled, DelRosso was done and Tim Sylvester hit Rodriguez to load the bases then Maxwell doubled to make it 8-6.

An error, a fielders choice and a double kept things interesting in the top of the ninth, as, with runners at second and third and two outs, Lange scored on a Doyle single. But a fielders choice ended the game, letting the Santa Fe fans breathe a sigh of relief.

Moore had high praise for Rodriguez, who not only played seven innings at first -- getting six putouts and four assists -- and went 1-for-2 with two runs scored but closed out the game on the mound.

"Larry Rodriguez is a very good baseball player," the manager said. "Hes a very talented player with the bat and I think hes one of the better pitchers Ive ever had in Fort Marcy ball park. He throws a lot of strikes and says, "OK. Show me what youve got."

Zimmerman had the best Fuego night at the plate, going 4-for-5.

Raton manager Ray Hancock was a lot less pleased with his squad.

"My players decided to not come play tonight," he said. "They just came flat. They didnt do the things they should have done to prepare for the game and it shows."

He said Javins -- who gave up three runs in 4.2 innings -- "did a good job. He just failed to get any hitting behind him, which my team is actually built for this particular field. Ive got a ton of left-handed hitters and they just didnt come through. They just werent ready."

Saying the loss was due to "laziness," Hancock said there will be some changes when the series wraps up Wednesday.

"My plan is, the ones who come to play will play," he said. "The ones who do what they did tonight before the game will sit on the bench."

Moore just wants to keep things on a steady keel.

"My plan is to try to score more runs than they do and play with the same enthusiasm we played with tonight," he said. "Our guys are very enthused. We werent down after we lost two games. We just had to figure out the adjustments; how to shuffle the deck to put us in a better position to beat these guys."

Game time is 6 p.m. in Fort Marcy Park.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

Osos duplicate win vs. Santa Fe

May 21 2013 12:00AM

Larry Rodriguez slides back into fi

Larry Rodriguez slides back into first before the ball makes it to Michael Lange. (Photo by Marty Mayfield)

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

RATON -- The Osos continued to improve Monday while the Fuego struggles continued. Playing in Gabriele Park in very cold and windy conditions, Raton topped Santa Fe 12-6, the same score that saw the Osos earn their seasons first victory Sunday.

Still, while Raton coach Ray Hancock was happy with the victory, he still sees room for improvement.

"I feel good for my boys," he said. "Second professional win, which makes everybody happy. Im a little bit disappointed in our play. We had some breakdowns and mental flubs that shouldnt have happened. Of course, I am coaching a bunch of young guys, but were at the level now where some of the things were doing is not exactly in the best of baseball, let me put it that way."

Fuego coach BIll Moore also wasnt happy.

"The score was indicative of the way it went," he said. "We didnt play as well as we can and Raton has a better baseball team than we were for the last two nights."

The Osos scored in six of the nine innings, starting with three in the bottom of the first when A.J. Doyle doubled in Stedman Smith and Michael Lange, who walked against Santa Fe starter Nick Huff, and Zach Kreegar, who was hit.

Willie Frederick faced only 11 Fuego through three, while Raton added another trio of runs in the bottom of the third.

Logan Morello opened with a double, came home on a Louie Saenz single then Michael Lange homered to make it 6-0 Raton.

Santa Fe finally put numbers on the board when Larry Rodriguez singled, advanced on an error and came home on a Jimmie Maxwell double.

Frederick helped his own cause in the fifth when, after again shutting the Fuego down, he homered, making it 7-0 Osos.

"Couldnt have asked for anything more," Hancock said of his starter. "I was going to take him out in the fifth; he begged me to leave him in. Im glad I did. Thats when he hit the bomb. That was sort of like the icing on the cake. Im fairly lucky, most of my pitchers can hit. When I was picking my team, I was looking for pitchers who can hit."

Austin Parker took the mound for the Fuego in the sixth, giving up two more Ratons runs when Saenz singled, Lange walked, and, with two outs, a wild pitch and error brought them both home.

Santa Fe had its biggest inning in the seventh off Raton reliever Cameron Powers.

Josh Barnett walked, advanced on a wild pitch and put out, then hame home on the second out of the inning. But he third was more elusive, as Rodriguez and Odoms singled, Maxwell walked to load the bases and Joe BLair singled to close the gap to 9-5.

Raton matched the scoring off Santa Fe relievers Brandon Jordan and Charlie McCready.

Jordan hit one batter and walked another, then McCready got the second out of the inning. But an errors brought in two runners and after Lange singled, Kreegar for the third run of the stanza.

Charlie Calamia scored the final run of the game in the eighth for the Fuego, hitting a single and coming around on an error and put out.

With five Santa Fe errors and four by Raton, neither team had the best of days on the field, but Hancock saw plusses and minuses in the defense.

"We do have some mental breakdowns, which is showing, but, again, its the start of the season," he said. "Its a long season. I am finally getting a chance to put my real team together. Ive had to send some players home. Didnt want to, but thats the way it works. I think were coming together as a team. I think within five to 10 more games we should be extremely solid."

The Osos dont have five to 10 more games to get ready. With the Pecos Leagues straight-through-the-season schedule, theyll head to Santa Fe Tuesday for theirr first road trip of the year. Hancock said hes looking forward to the trip.

"First off, Im looking to go to Santa Fe. Ive never been there before, so I think Im going to enjoy that," he said. "I hope its a good game. Of course, I do hope we come out on top but I hope its a good game for the fans."

Moore said hell take it upon himself to get his squad where it needs to be.

"Im going to go home tonight and Im going to look at the books and Im going to see what I can do to get our team in a position to win," he said. "We havent lost a series. If we win the next two games, we split the series. Were still .500. Go on to the next series and see what happens there. Tomorrows a good day for us and a fresh start."

Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Fort Marcy Park.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

RATON -- Raton fans have been packing the stadium since the season opened, coming early and staying late despite not seeing much success from their team. But their patience paid off Sunday, as the Oso topped Santa Fe 12-6, getting the win from reliever Tim Sylvester, who allowed only one Fuego run in the final four innings.

"It feels wonderful," said Raton manager Ray Hancock. "We were in the game all the way. We were in several games. Actually, we should be 3-2 right now, but my boys never give up, even on the games we lost. I know theyre extremely happy to win their first professional baseball game. Im happy for them and I hope things work out for the rest of the year."

Both starting pitchers -- Brian HIcks and Jessie Meier -- struggled a bit, allowing five runs apiece

Santa Fe opened the scoring when Kyle Zimmerman singled in Josh Barnett, then Barnett came home on a Devonte Odoms double.

Raton matched that in the bottom of the stanza when Steadman Smith doubled and Logan Morello walked, then both stole a base and Smith scored on a ground out that advanced Morello who came home on a wild pitch.

The Osos took the 3-2 lead in the second on an error, single by Travis Fuquay and fielders choice, then the two teams mirrored each other again in the third.

Fuego Josh Barnett singled, stole second and came home on an Eric Scott single then Louie Saenz walked for Raton, coming around on an error and Bret Smith single.

The Osos stretched their lead to 5-3 in the fourth when Fuquay was hit and stole his way home.

Santa Fe tied it at 5-5 in the fifth when Josh Barnett triple and scored on a putout and Scott and Larry Rodriguez both singled, with Scott coming home on an error.

Santa Fe got its final run in the sixth off Sylvester, whoi walked Jimmie Maxwell. Maxwell advanced on an error and wild pitch, then came home on a fielders choice. But in the bottom of the stanza, Raton broke it open.

After getting the first out, Meier walked Fuquay then Smith singled. That brought in Derrick Sampel, who struck out Morello but then gave up a 2 RBI single to Saenz and a 2 RBI home run bu Michael Lange, something Hancock said was long overdue.

"(He was) due for a home run from the get-go," the manager said. "He slammed one probably 450 feet if I had to guess tonight."

The Osos added three more in the seventh when Doyle walked and scored on an error; Fuquay reached on a fielders choice and Smith was hit, with both coming in on a Morello single off reliever Brandon Jordan.

Santa Fe manager Bill Moore was disappointed with his teams effort.

"We didnt play as well as were capable of and I think they played pretty well, and it was just a combination of those two things and we wound up on the short end," he said.

Hancock had praise across the board, singling out a number pf players.

"My shortstop (Doyle). Of course my catcher (Zach Kreegar) came through in a big way. Weve had some catching problems. He stood up and made a point of being a real catcher tonight. So that was a big deal. Our pitchers, Ive had good pitching the whole series, both with Trinidad and (Santa Fe) so far, we just had poor defense and our brains sort of fell apart a few times. Other than that, things are good."

Ratons hitting was also spread out, with only Smith getting more than one hit. Barnett was the only Fuego with multiple hits, going 3-for-5.

The teams have one more game at Gabriele Park before heading back south to Santa Fe, and Moore said the plan for Monday is simple.

"For us to pick ourselves up and play Fuego baseball," he said. "I think we just need to execute. We need to get a little more focused. We need to get ahead in counts with pitchers and when the pitcher gets a ground ball, we need to make the play. We can do that."

Hancocks plan is equally simple.

"Well, we plan on winning, thats the main plan," he said. "I really havent had a chance to think about it because I do go one game at a time."

Game time Monday is 7 p.m.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- The Fuego evened the series vs. Taos at 2-2 Saturday with another big hitting home-run fest that ended 19-12, Santa Fe.

It was the first game back for manager Bill Moore, who missed two games for family business, and he seemed happy to be there.

"I feel great. End of story," he laughed. "I feel great. We had a good night at the ball park. Hit the ball well. Played defense well. Pitched well, for the most part."

Complete play-by-play and accurate stats were not available, but the line score shows the Fuego jumping up early, leading 2-0 after two and 7-2 after three. They stretched the lead to 9-1 after four on strong pitching by starter Gill Tussey.

Blizzard starter Shayne Miller went 3-2/3 innings, leaving just before his team had a big seven-run fifth inning.

"We got in trouble in the fifth inning," Moore said. "Gil Tussey started the game for us and he was lights out for four, then in the fifth inning he just struggled with the strike zone and got himself in trouble with walks."

Tussey actually only walked two, but after opening the stanza with a single and home run by Vincent Smarrelli,he allowed another six hits, putting Taos up 10-9. Mike Londino kept the Fuego from scoring in the fifth, but the retook the lead in the sixth with two runs, then added another two in the seventh and six in the eighth.

Pitcher Jerome Romero helped get Tussey out of the fifth, then combined with Charlie McCready and Larry Rodriguez to shut the Blizzard down in the sixth, seventh and eighth. Jared Bowser gave up the final two Taos runs in the ninth.

To no ones surprise in the hitters ballpark, there were seven homers in the game.

Kyle Richardson, Smarrelli and Ruben Rijkhof sent the ball flying for Taos, while Jimmie Maxwell hit two for Santa Fe with Eric Scott and Rodriguez adding one apiece.

Yes, that Rodriguez, who also pitched two innings for the Fuego and was 4-for-4 with four runs and 3 RBI.

"Not a bad night at the yard, hey?" Moore laughed. "Larrys a very good baseball player. I honestly believe I could put him anywhere on the field: catch, pitch, maybe at the same time. Hes just a terrific baseball player."

Both teams had 18 hits -- Santa Fe just made their count a little more -- and the Fuego had the only error of the game.

Moore was asked what caused the turnaround after losing the first two games.

"During spring training we talked a lot about weve got to hate losing more than we enjoy winning, and perhaps losing twice made us (think), "Enough, already. Its time to play a little harder and a little better," he said.

Santa Fe now heads north to face 0-4 Raton, and Moore said the first thing hell do in the border town is "say hello to my good friend Ray Hancock. Our plan there is just see if we can stay on a roll like we are with the bats."

Moore said hell give Jesse Meier his first start of the season Sunday, then move reliever Nick Huff from the pen into the starting rotation Monday.

Taos has a long drive to Alpine, where theyll open a four-game series against the Cowboys Sunday.

Phil Grondin contributed to this story.

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- The Fuego got their first victory of the season in a big way Friday, pounding out 18 runs on 20 hits vs. Taos, while exceptional pitching from starter Austen Carden and reliever Jared Bowser plus solid defense led to an 18-3 victory.

"I feel great," said acting Santa Fe manager Chunk Sarnak. "You win some, you lose some. Its part of baseball, but you get out there and give them hell the next game. And we did. Im so proud of my boys. So proud of my boys. They did really good. They stepped up. They did their job when they needed to. They moved runners over. They got on base. We kept putting pressure on, and thats what our game plan was all day: is put pressure on them. Make them beat us, as opposed to us beating ourselves like maybe the last two games."

The Fuego led 10-0 after three before finally giving the Blizzard two runs in the fifth, but that was as close as the score would ever be.

After a 0-0 first inning, Santa Fe went up 2-0 in the second on a Larry Rodriguez home run, a single, balk and Carden put out that scored Devonte Odoms. It was the first home run for the Fuego this year, and Rodriguez said it felt good.

"It felt good, having my first professional home run. Its a great feeling, just to see one, hit one and let it go."

The Fuego made it 7-0 after three, scoring five runs on only two hits. There were no Blizzard errors, but pitcher Richard Ruff walked four, hit one and the hits were a double by Kyle Zimmerman -- who later stole home -- and a 3 RBI homer by Jimmie Maxwell.

Taos two runs came on a walk to Chris Constantino followed by a Brennan May home run, but the Fuego matched that tally in the bottom of the fifth when Charlie Calamia and Josh Barnett each singled and came home on an Eric Scott single.

Santa Fe made it 14-2 in the sixth on five singles and a double, then, after finally getting shut down in the seventh by reliever Mike Russo, added another four in the eighth when Calamia started out with a home run, then, with two out, Eric Scott walked, Rodriguez doubled, Odoms singled, Maxwell walked and, pinch hitting for Carden, Chris Wakefield doubled.

All that hitting was great -- of everyone who went to the plate, only the two pitchers were hitless -- but Sarnack had special praise for Carden, who had a no hitter through five -- something unheard of in Fort Marcy Park -- and closed out eight innings with a one-hitter.

"That kid absolutely dealt today," Sarnak said. "I was so blown away by the way he was pitching today. And also being at Fort Marcy, the guy almost threw a complete game. Thats hard to do out here."

"I feel great," Carden said of the win. "We had a rough little start in the first two games, and just wanted to get one in the win column, and it feels good to finally be there."

So what was going through the pitchers mind as he was doing something almost unheard of in the hitters park?

"Just keep it rolling," he said. "Just give my team the best chance to win. Just keep everything going good. Hopefully we can take this and get some momentum and keep winning and start a winning streak from here."

Thats what the Fuego will try to do Saturday when they close out the series with the Blizzard. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- The Fuego got their first victory of the season in a big way Friday, pounding out 18 runs on 20 hits vs. Taos, while exceptional pitching from starter Austen Carden and reliever Jared Bowser plus solid defense led to an 18-3 victory.

"I feel great," said acting Santa Fe manager Chunk Sarnak. "You win some, you lose some. Its part of baseball, but you get out there and give them hell the next game. And we did. Im so proud of my boys. So proud of my boys. They did really good. They stepped up. They did their job when they needed to. They moved runners over. They got on base. We kept putting pressure on, and thats what our game plan was all day: is put pressure on them. Make them beat us, as opposed to us beating ourselves like maybe the last two games."

The Fuego led 10-0 after three before finally giving the Blizzard two runs in the fifth, but that was as close as the score would ever be.

After a 0-0 first inning, Santa Fe went up 2-0 in the second on a Larry Rodriguez home run, a single, balk and Carden put out that scored Devonte Odoms. It was the first home run for the Fuego this year, and Rodriguez said it felt good.

"It felt good, having my first professional home run. Its a great feeling, just to see one, hit one and let it go."

The Fuego made it 7-0 after three, scoring five runs on only two hits. There were no Blizzard errors, but pitcher Richard Ruff walked four, hit one and the hits were a double by Kyle Zimmerman -- who later stole home -- and a 3 RBI homer by Jimmie Maxwell.

Taos got two runs on a walk to Chris Constantino followed by a Brennan May home run, but the Fuego matched that tally in the bottom of the fifth when Charlie Calamia and Josh Barnett each singled and came home on an Eric Scott single.

Santa Fe made it 14-2 in the sixth on five singles and a double, then, after finally getting shut down in the seventh by reliever Mike Russo, added another four in the eighth when Calamia started out with a home run, then, with two out, Eric Scott walked, Rodriguez doubled, Odoms singled, Maxwell walked and, pinch hitting for Carden, Chris Wakefield doubled.

THe Blizzard got their final run in the eighth off Bowser, who gave up a single to Blair Springfield, hit John Apostolo then gave up an Eric McGee RBI single before closing out the game with two strike outs.

All that hitting was great -- of everyone who went to the plate, only the two pitchers were hitless -- but Sarnack had special praise for Carden, who had a no hitter through five -- something unheard of in Fort Marcy Park -- and closed out eight innings with a one-hitter.

"That kid absolutely dealt today," Sarnak said. "I was so blown away by the way he was pitching today. And also being at Fort Marcy, the guy almost threw a complete game. Thats hard to do out here."

"I feel great," Carden said of the win. "We had a rough little start in the first two games, and just wanted to get one in the win column, and it feels good to finally be there."

So what was going through the pitchers mind as he was doing something almost unheard of in the hitters park?

"Just keep it rolling," he said. "Just give my team the best chance to win. Just keep everything going good. Hopefully we can take this and get some momentum and keep winning and start a winning streak from here."

Thats what the Fuego will try to do Saturday when they close out the series with the Blizzard. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Phil Grondin contributed to this article

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- Anyone whos been to Fort Marcy Park knows the short --285-foot -- right field is a hitters paradise. And in Thursdays home opener for the Fuego, that was indeed the case, but unfortunately, five of the home runs were by the Blizzard, leading to a 17-8 Taos victory.

"Any time you can put up almost 40 runs in two games I think any manager would be happy," said Taos manager Matt Leahy.

The home team actually led early, after starter Jon Sintes allowed only one hit in the first, then the Fuego came back with three runs in the bottom of the stanza.

With one out, Charlie Calamia singled and stole second. Larry Rodriguez walked and Eric Scott hit an RBI double. Devante Odoms scored Rodriguez on a putout and Jimmie Maxwell made it 3-0 on a single.

But the Blizzard took the lead for good in the second, scoring five runs on five hits, including home runs by Brennan May -- who scored Coffman and Constantino -- and Louis Gonzales, who brought in Richardson.

The teams each scored scored one run in the third -- Constantino got another Taos home run -- then the Blizzard added two in the fourth -- one on a second dinger by Gonzales and one on a hit batter, stolen base and single.

The teams again traded runs in the fifth -- this time it was Fuego Odoms who hit a shot out of the park --and Santa Fe got a bit closer in the sixth, scoring on a single by Calamia and Rodriguez double.

But Taos pretty much put the game out of sight in the seventh, sending 10 batters to the plate, scoring five runs on five hits, this time without any homers. They added a final two runs in the ninth, on a Constantino single and Ruben Rijkhof dinger, and while Santa Fe matched that, it wasnt enough.

"It shouldnt have been that way," said Santa Fe substitute manager Chunk Sarnak. "We just knocked the ball around a little too much and weve just got to clean it up a little bit. But its still early. Were still trying to figure things out. But things are going to change, thats for sure."

Both managers felt their pitching still has a way to go.

"I still think were going too deep into our pitch count too early into the game, so were giving up too many runs early, but definitely our relievers are coming in, and theyre not shutting the door as quickly as we would like, but theyre definitely shutting the door," Leahy said. "Theyre leaving runners on base when they come in. So were doing pretty well."

Sarnack said its normally hard for pitchers to get a good ERA when the strike zone is really small and theyre not not getting calls, "But tonight that really wasnt the case. The umpiring staff did a really good job. The zone was really good. Its was just that our pitchers, theyve got to hit their spot and get the ball down more."

And the four errors didnt help.

"The errors and just a couple of crucial walks that came back to bite us in the butt," Sarnak said. "We just need to have the pitching staff work on getting the ball down, especially at Fort Marcy, because the balls just fly out, home run after home run. That was the story tonight: walk, error, home run. Walk, error, home run."

Kenny McDowell got the win for Taos, with Sintes taking the loss.

With 39 hits, seven of those home runs, in two days, Leahy was asked if his team will be able to continue that output when they move to slightly lower elevations.

"Without a doubt. Without a doubt," he said. "I told you this from the get-go."

The teams meet again Friday at Fort Marcy Park beginning at 6 p.m.

Blizzard power their way past Fuego in season opener

May 16 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

TAOS -- The first ever professional game played on the Taos Tundra saw balls fly long and far Wednesday as the home team defeated Santa Fe 16-6.

There were three home runs on the day -- two by Fuego Josh Barnett and Devonte Odoms and one by Blizzard Cody Coffman. There were also four doubles and two triples, and Taos manager Matt Leahy said thats part of the home-field advantage in the Tundra.

"The way the wind whips off the mountain or goes off the mountain we can set up our lineup accordingly with lefties or righties and as you saw today, the ball just flies out of here," he said.

The early innings were close, with Taos going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when Blair Springfield walked and came home on an Eric McGee double.

The Fuego tied it in the third on Barnetts solo home run, but Taos broke it open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on two singles, two doubles, a walk and a hit batter.

Santa Fe added a pair in the fifth off reliever Tyler Stucky, who couldnt seem to find the plate, walking five on only one out before Adam Shopick got the seventh batter of the inning to hit into a double play.

Both teams scored one in the sixth -- making it 7-4 -- but then Taos added five more in the seventh and four in the eighth, and although Santa FE added another pair in the top of the stanza -- a Bryson Sims double was followed by Odoms home run -- it wasnt enough, and that lack of consistence was what had Fuego manager Bill Moore a bit unhappy.

"We need to compete a little better," he said. "We didnt pitch very well in certain spots. We didnt hit very well in spots. Were not that bad of a team, we just didnt play very well today."

Leahy said his team showed what the upcoming season will most likely look like.

"I feel great," he said. "We got through some pitching situations that we put ourselves into, but we got out of those with our bats and I think thats going to be the theme over the course of about 70 games or so."

Seven Blizzard had two or more hits each, led by Springfield, 3-for-4, one run; and John Apostolo, 2-for-3 with three runs and 2 RBI. They had 17 total hits, while Santa Fe had 10, with Eric Scott and Jimmie Maxwell 2-for-4 and Kyle Zimmerman 2-for-5.

What might be the brightest spot for both teams is that both were error free, an especially good statistic on opening day. And while the managers were pleased with the home runs, they both saw other things to be impressed with.

"They felt great, to get their first pro dinger out of the way," Leahy said. "Had some guys get some stolen bases and some bunts, a lot of firsts today, but Im glad we got it today so it was good."

"I was equally impressed with a few stolen bases we had, and Eric Scott bunting late in the game when we needed some baserunners and beating it out," Moore said. "We did some good things. Devonte swung the bat well today. Josh had a decent day with the bat, but we werent consistent all day. We probably scored enough runs for that game to be a lot closer than it was."

The teams will be back in action Thursday in Santa Fe -- Taos has a limited number of home games this season -- and both think the game could be equally exciting.

"Big crowd, lot of fun, lot of excitement and turn this thing back over," Moore said, when asked what he expects to see at the 6 p.m. matchup.

"I tell you, if we score 16 in Taos, its unlimited the amount (of runs) we could score in Santa Fe with the 285 down the line," Leahy said. "Our lineup will be accordingly." Phil Grondin contributed to this story.

Do the bats really make a differenc

Do the bats really make a difference? For one game in Santa Fe we will find out. The All Star Game Format of the Pecos League will be Team Old Hickory vs Team Max Bat. The league is split 50/50 on bat sponsors with 50% using Max and and 50% using Old Hickory. It made logical sense for Team Old Hickory to play against Team Max Bat. Also it splits up the teams that are setup to be the leagues main rivals. (Trinidad/Raton, Santa Fe/Las Vegas, Roswell/White Sands)

Team Max Bat

Team Rawlings

Home Run Pizza will take over non

Home Run Pizza will take over non alcoholic concessions for the Santa Fe Fuego and Taos Blizzard for the 2013 season. They will offer their famous pizzas, sandwiches and other food and drinks. They will offer credit card only purchases at games. For those who have cash, they can purchase a debit card for $5. This is another huge upgrade for the Fuego and a local partner for the Taos Blizzard. Home Run Pizza has these locations and are huge Pecos League Supporters.

CR 25/ Pojagoe, NM
2801 Rodeo Santa Fe, NM
1031 North Riverside, Espanola, NM
Taos Highway, Alcalde, NM
Charma, NM

Fan-friendly Santa Fe will show new face in 2013

Apr 17 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Despite their short right field — which was part of the reason SAnta Fe led the Pecos League in home runs in 2012 — Fuego man...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Despite their short right field — which was part of the reason SAnta Fe led the Pecos League in home runs in 2012 — Fuego manager Bill Moore said his squad won’t be relying on the long ball this season to win.

“We’re definitely going to have a different face and a different personality than what we had last year,” he said. “That’s one of the things I’m really stressing, is that we’re going to be baseball players instead of a bunch of power guys. We’ll hit some home runs, but it’s not going to be the main reason we win or lose games because we couldn’t hit home runs.

“We did a good job of that (in 2012), but I think from one through 22 we’re going to be a lot more athletic.”

Like so many other teams this season, that starts on the mound. Moore said he’s looking at a strong pitching staff.

“I think our pitching staff right now, as we speak, I feel real comfortable saying we have three of our five man rotation pretty well set, and the three gu

All Star game just another step toward success for Fuego

Jan 30 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — The one thing the Fuego couldn’t do in 2012 is win, and that’s one thing manager Bill Moore is hoping to improve on in 2013. ...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — The one thing the Fuego couldn’t do in 2012 is win, and that’s one thing manager Bill Moore is hoping to improve on in 2013. But whether or not those victories on the field materialize, Santa Fe is guaranteed another solid season off the field.

As the town has gotten to know the team, the crowds are expected to be bigger and better and in early July, fans from around the league are expected to descend on the City Different, as the Fuego host the All-Star game.

“I think that’s going to be awesome,” said Yvonne Encinias, a team mom and big Fuego supporter. “That’s huge for the city. It’s going to bring so much to the city. It’s huge for the economy. It’s just the fact it’s our second year here and we have the all-star game. It’s exciting.”

“I’m glad (league commissioner Andrew Dunn) gave it to Santa Fe,” said Santa Fe city councillor Ron Trujillo. “Because you have a lot of people working hard to make the All Star game a fun weekend. And I can guarantee this,

Santa Fe a success despite on-field losses

Jan 29 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — The Fuego may have had a tough first year on the field, but off the field was another matter. No matter who you talk to, ...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — The Fuego may have had a tough first year on the field, but off the field was another matter. No matter who you talk to, they agree the season was a huge success.

"I think not only did we have one of the best years, quite possibly the best year of any expansion team I"ve every had, of the 10 teams I ran, we really didn"t have any problems at all,” said Pecos League commissioner and Santa Fe owner Andrew Dunn. “The facilities are better. The community understands the commitment of the players and appreciates the players and fully supports the team. From the city to the fans, everywhere, it"s a great place for me to be."

“Definitely a good year,” agreed Santa Fe city councillor Ron Trujillo. “When you look at the Fuego, Santa Fe ended up in last place, but yet they led the league in attendance. What does that show you? That the people in Santa Fe are behind this team. They want to make this work.”

"I had a great time,” said manager Bill Moore, who will be back for 2013.

Love of baseball keeps Fuego pitcher going and going

Jan 17 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Most players in independent baseball are relative youngsters — recent college grads who didn"t get signed or slightly older players who may h...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE — Most players in independent baseball are relative youngsters — recent college grads who didn"t get signed or slightly older players who may have been injured and are hoping for a comeback. Which makes Rodney Tafoya, who pitched for the Santa Fe Fuego in 2012, somewhat different.

Tafoya is a 48-year-old pitcher who loves the game of baseball and has one goal in mind: to win 300 games in amateur ball.

"I set a goal about 17 years ago, when I was 29 years old, and that was to win 300 amateur games. And I"m (at) 280, so I need 20 this year, and I"m starting in two weeks in Puerto Rico. After that, I"ll have 19 more and start the countdown."

The left-hander never pitched in the major leagues, but spent two years in Class A ball — in the Northwest League and New York-Pennsylvania League in 1989-90 — then pitched in the independent Prairie League in 1997 and last year, was invited to start for the Fuego. But when he wasn"t playing professionally, he was staying active with amateur leagues.

At a

Moore brings decades of experience to Fuego

Jan 16 2013 12:00AM

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

MESA, Ariz. — Most professional athletes have a time limit on how long they can play. Physically, their bodies often wear out long before they"re ready to c...

By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

MESA, Ariz. — Most professional athletes have a time limit on how long they can play. Physically, their bodies often wear out long before they"re ready to call it quits. Good coaches, on the other hand, can coach as long as they"re winning, and if longevity is the mark of a good coach, the Pecos League has one of the best.

Last season, Bill Moore came on board with the expansion Santa Fe Fuego, and while he had a tough go of it — the Fuego had a losing season — it wasn"t for his lack of coaching experience.

Moore never played beyond junior college, but after he came home from military in 1967 and went back to school he hope to join the Phoenix College team. Unfortunately, "I wasn"t good enough to make the team," Moore said. "And the coach said, "Well, I"ve got good news and bad news.""

The bass news was Moore wasn"t going to be cut, but wouldn"t play. On the plus side, the team had room for a student assistant.

"I decided to do that rather than go home or sit on the bench all season. I got to throw a

The Santa Fe Fuego have resigned th

The Santa Fe Fuego have resigned the following players:

Joey Garcia
Jermiah Steinert
Jared Bowser
Jon Sintes
Jerome Romero
Chris Wakefield
Nick Mueller