FARMINGTON – The opening round of the local qualifying tournament for this month’s Connie Mack World Series didn’t look that much different from the regular season results between these same teams.
The Frackers and 505 Panthers, each having only one loss against the other after 10 games in the regular season schedule, won both of their opening round games in decisive fashion.
The 505 Panthers opened the tournament Wednesday evening at Ricketts Park and beat the Shiprock Dodgers by a final score of 15-2.
In the second game of the opening round, the Frackers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to roll past the Kirtland Broncos 13-5.
The 505 Panthers win gives them a bye into the second round, while the Frackers will came back the following morning to win a second round game over the NWNM Elite by a final score of 9-1 at the Farmington Sports Complex. That win sets up a showdown between tbe Frackers and the 505 Panthers.
It’s only the third time during the current city league season the teams will have met. The Frackers won the opening game of the season against the 505 Panthers, then lost to them two weeks later. Neither team has lost a game against another city league opponent this season.
The 505 Panthers jumped on the Dodgers early and often, scoring four runs in each of the first three innings of the game before adding three more runs in the top of the fourth. The Dodgers scored the only runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings before leaving the bases loaded with three outs to end the contest.
Kaden Peace drove in four runs, while Kelton Mitchell drove in three of his own. Keenan Bejar scored four times as eight of the nine players in the 505 Panthers’ starting lineup recorded at least one base hit.
Tanner Coddington allowed only one hit in three innings of work before Arnold James closed out the contest. The pitchers combined for four strikeouts and allowed only seven hits in five complete innings.
“Our team was zoned in tonight,” 505 Panthers coach John Kuhn said. “If we can continue playing at that level, then we can play with anyone.”
The Frackers got off to a bit of a slow start in its first-round game at Ricketts Park, falling behind 2-0 after the top of the first inning. But that deficit didn’t last long before the Frackers answered, scoring 10 runs in the bottom of that frame on their way to a 13-5 win.
Maddox Edmonson recorded three runs batted in, along with Elijah Wyatt, Drew Perez and Alex Gilliam, who each drove in a pair of runs.
Three pitchers combined to earn the victory for the Frackers. Justin Bixler struck out a pair while going 1 ⅔ innings, while Evan LaMunyon threw 2 ⅔ shutout innings and A.J. Folk struck out three batters while also giving up three runs and walking four batters in 1 ⅔ innings.
The winner of the local qualifying tournament becomes the host team for the Connie Mack World Series, scheduled to get underway on July 21. At the conclusion of the local qualifier, all but one team will have been entered to the CMWS, with one regional qualifying tournament set to begin this weekend in Enid, Oklahoma.
For more information about the Connie Mack World Series, visit CMWS.org.
