Wildcats capture region tournament

CHINLE

It was a long road for many baseball teams to travel with the added obstacles caused by the COVID-19 pandemics, but despite it all, the Chinle Wildcats won the 3A North Tournament held in Chinle last Saturday.

The tournament began with Chinle, the fourth seed, facing Tuba City on Wednesday as they shutout the Warriors 13-0.

Then on Saturday, they faced No. 1 Page, having a fierce fight in the beginning but Chinle would pull ahead 11-4 and making it to the championship game.

The Wildcats faced No. 2 Window Rock as the Scouts beat Alchesay in the semifinals by a close 10-6 count.

Fueled by a tense rivalry, the 3A North champion game started fast and tough.

Chinle took the bats first with Lashawn Platero pitching for the Fighting Scouts. With a strong defense, Window Rock got two outs, but before they could end the inning the Wildcats plated two runs.

Senior Brent Begay put across an RBI double that scored junior Shaydin Tsosie, who pitched the previous game against Page.

Dion Tsosie then brought in Begay, giving Chinle an early 2-0 cushion.

It wasn’t until the second inning that Window Rock struck back with junior Elijah-Kane Morgan hitting a solo home run over the fence.

The rest of the game was an intense standoff as both teams got runners in scoring positions as Chinle clinched the championship with a 2-1 win.

Chinle senior pitcher Isiac Kee went the distance and gave up one earned run on six hits. He also finished with four strikeouts.

His last strikeout came in the seventh against Morgan, who hit the solo homer for the Scouts.

That strikeout was followed by two groundouts, earning the Wildcats a hard fought game.

Kee said he was nervous but he kept his cool while striking out Morgan, Window Rock’s biggest threat.

Platero, who also went the distance for Window Rock, made five strikeouts.

Chinle Coach Charles Kimbrough was happy with the team’s play and felt great when the boys won the trophy, though admitted it was very close.

“They had us on our toes,” Kimbrough said. “We were waiting to crack the egg carton the whole game and it never got cracked open. We just made some great plays out there and hung onto it.”

He credits Kee for his great pitching and the defense for working together. Especially left outfielder Joshua Tullie who caught two balls, one of which he had to dive for to catch.

Kimbrough says it was tough coming into the season with a new team and working with COVID protocols but it all added to the moment they won, making them feel alive and tough. They kept their dedication and their positive attitude through their up and down season.

Window Rock coach Kody Wauneka wished the team was able to win, but was quick to point out it was a close match. He said the boys did their best and considering the hardships they faced this past season with COVID and yet coming out as No. 2 in the region, it makes him immensely proud of the team

He highlights Morgan’s home run, the skills from Platero, the team’s pitcher, and the overall effort brought by the seniors who led the team. There was also underclassman that made good plays, making Wauneka excited for next season.

“It’s a wonderful blessing,” Wauneka said. “Our seniors carried us, they were sophomores two years ago when we last played. I believe, we only played six or seven games and they haven’t played in two years. But they carried us and they made some big plays throughout the season. And being No. 2 is a huge blessing. There’s nothing wrong with being number two and our boys fought hard. Baseball is back in Window Rock.”

Chinle pitcher Kee felt great for the win, giving credit to his team for their close win.

“Yeah, I was nervous but I knew what I had to do what I had to pitch in. I just had to hit my spots right when I was pitching and that worked out better than I could have hoped.

“I’m proud of my team,” Kee said. “They stopped the ball, they caught the ball in the outfield, and I’m very proud of them because they held through the innings… This season has been uplifting and I feel like we’ve been progressing and getting better throughout the games and during the season and I’m just proud of how well the team have played.”

With this victory, Chinle earned a spot to go to the state playoffs, its uncertain how they’ll do, but according to Kee the team is excited, they’re looking forward to it and they’ll be ready when they start practicing again.

“There were other teams that were real tough, Window Rock especially,” Kimbrough said. “They really came around, overall though we worked hard and the guys deserved this. It was all up to them, we taught them as much as we could and turned them loose and they did it.”

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