After an impressive opening inning that included timely hits and loud outs, the Montezuma-Cortez High School baseball team found itself leading Delta 3-2 in opening game of the Class 3A Region 4 Tournament.
A series of tough breaks over the ensuing innings ripped the one-run lead from the Panthers’ grasp, however, and in spite of a valiant effort, the team in orange and black ended up losing, 9-4.
Top performers at the plate for the Panthers included senior Ryan Medina, who came through with two hits and two RBIs. Sophomore Korie Likes and senior Clayton Yoder also drove in runs for the Panthers.
Yoder started the game on the mound for M-CHS and allowed four earned runs over three and two-thirds innings and struck out seven batters. Sophomore Ty Blackmer allowed three earned runs in one and one-third innings of relief, and junior Preston Davidovich pitched a scoreless inning.
The Panthers trailed 4-3 at the end of the second inning and 5-3 after three innings of play. After narrowing its gap to 5-4 with a run in the fourth inning, M-CHS yielded a run in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth inning as the possibility of a win moved out of reach.
Although the season-ending loss was not the result that the Panthers’ envisioned, the team took solace in the fact that its season as a whole was a success. After finishing the 2018 season with a 5-12 record overall and a 1-9 record in the Intermountain League, the Panthers rebounded to finish this season with a 10-11 record overall and a 3-7 record in the Intermountain League.
