Hawks play clean, win season opener

THOREAU, N.M.

For their season opener the Thoreau baseball team played a fairly clean game.

The Hawks limited their errors and swept archrival Wingate on Tuesday, winning 10-0 in the first game before capping the series with a come-from-behind 5-2 win in the second.

“The kids did a real good job of stopping the ball in the infield,” Thoreau coach Ron Willie said. “Not very many balls were batted in the outfield, but when it did, they covered them well.

“Our pitching started off really well too, which is very unexpected at this point with it being our first game,” he added.

In the opening game, Willie started his veteran players and in the nightcap he went with his up-and-coming talent, which included a pair of 8th graders with Carlos Bitsie on the mound and Kiefer Yazzie starting at shortstop.

Wingate, a team coming off a three-day tournament at Santa Fe St. Michael’s, did quite the opposite as some of their key returners staked out an early 1-0 lead in the second contest when third baseman Terrill Harding scored on a RBI ground out from catcher Kelvin Capitan in the top of second.

The Bears held Thoreau scoreless for the first three innings with starting pitcher Brandon Begay recording seven of his 10 strikeouts in those three frames. Begay did give up a walk in the fourth and after a couple of passed balls Thoreau tied the contest with lead off hitter Tristan Charley scoring.

The Bears regained the lead on a throwing error by Thoreau in the top of fifth with Capitan rounding the bases after starting the inning with a double.

On the mound, Begay recorded three more strikeouts, as he was relieved in the sixth by Colton Begay.

“Brandon pitched real well for us,” Wingate coach Chris Begay said. “He was on a roll but towards the end of I noticed he was getting tired.”

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