Thanks to the humming fastball and powerful hitting of junior Preston Davidovich, the Montezuma-Cortez High School baseball team earned a home victory over Monticello High School on April 16.
Among the game’s highlights were a two-run double by Davidovich, who also pitched 51/3 innings for the Panthers while allowing four earned runs and striking out a game-high nine batters.
M-CHS fell behind 1-0 in the first inning and trailed 2-1 at the end of the second inning before evening the score with a run in the top of the third. After Monticello pulled ahead 4-3 in the top of the fifth, the Panthers scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and held on for the victory.
Davidovich earned the victory on the mound, and senior Ryan Medina pitched 1²/3 scoreless innings and struck out three batters in relief.
Junior Travis Beeson, senior Cordell Baer, sophomore Ty Blackmer and junior Logan Birch all drove in a run for the Panthers. Blackmer had three total hits and scored two runs and senior Clayton Yoder was credited with a triple.
With its record now at 6-4 overall and 1-1 in the Intermountain League, M-CHS will prepare for an Intermountain League doubleheader against Bayfield High School in Cortez on Saturday.
