Michael Gettman hit a home run in each game, Bayfield got stellar starting pitching from Hayden Farmer and Andrew Morgan, and the Wolverines rolled past Montezuma-Cortez to sweep a doubleheader Saturday in Bayfield.
The Bayfield High School baseball team picked up a 10-0 win in a mercy-rule shortened opening game that went five innings. Morgan carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before a double off the bat of Cortez’s Isiah Pena broke it up. Still, Morgan earned a shut out to pick up the win.
In Game 2, Farmer struck out 13 Cortez hitters and allowed only six hits. Both runs he gave up were unearned, and the Bayfield (7-4, 4-0 3A Intermountain League) bats were strong again to deliver an 8-2 win in a full seven innings.
In the opening game, Morgan struck out six and didn’t issue a walk to the Panthers (2-5, 1-3 IML). After Pena broke up his perfect game, the Cortez player stole third base. Morgan was able to preserve the shutout by getting Andrew Medina to strike out looking and inducing a groundout to third base by Kale Hall. Farmer was playing third and had to make a long throw to first, and Rhett Hoover did the splits to dig the throw and record the out.
Gettman was 2-for-3 in the first game with two runs scored. His fourth-inning homer was a two-run shot to left field. He also tripled in his first at-bat.
Farmer went 2-for-3 in the game with two runs and an RBI. The final run of the game to end it in the bottom of the fifth came from a single by Ethan Morris, who was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The top five hitters in the BHS order all scored twice. Hub Brandon and Max McGhehey were two of those boys, and they also had two hits each.
Cortez got off to a better start in Game 2. Cutter Matthews got a leadoff single, and Cole Herrmann singled to give the Panthers runners on first and second. The Panthers executed a delayed double steal with Cordell Baer at the plate. BHS catcher Alex Demko threw down to second base but couldn’t get Herrmann, and Matthews broke for home plate and scored. Baer would fly out to left, and a beautiful throw from McGhehey was able to double off Herrmann at second base to end the inning.
Farmer settled into a groove and struck out 13. He walked only one and was better the deeper he went in the game, as he struck out five of the final six hitters he faced.
Matthews scored again in the third inning for Cortez. He had a two-out single and stole second and reached third on a passed ball. Hermann grounded to third, and an error allowed Matthews to score. Matthews was 3-for-3 with three singles in the game.
BHS didn’t trail for long, as the Wolverines scored two in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead they wouldn’t give up. Brandon was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI to go with two runs scored. Farmer helped his cause by going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Gettman again homered in the fourth, as he went 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs. Both of his homers Saturday came with two outs.
Jake Brandon was 1-for-3 with a double. Demko was 1-for-3 with two runs.
BHS did have an ejection in the fifth inning, as Morris was tossed from the game. He was called for interference while at the plate, as the Cortez catcher was unable to get a throw down to second base when Shane Moore was attempting a steal. Morris was called out and questioned the call before going back to the dugout and was ejected. Moore was sent back to first and was eventually caught stealing to end the inning.
Morris will have to miss the team’s next game, the first of a home doubleheader Saturday against Centauri.
The Demons lost their season series with Grand Junction and opened play in 5A/4A Southwestern League with a pair of losses, as the Tigers beat the Durango High School baseball team 8-5 Saturday at DHS.
Grand Junction beat DHS 10-6 in the first game of the series Friday.
Playing as the away team Saturday, DHS (5-4, 0-2 SWL) scored two runs in the top of the first inning, but the lead disappeared quickly with four runs from the Tigers (6-6, 2-0 SWL) in the bottom of the frame.
The Demons got one run in the second inning to make it 4-3 before Grand Junction tacked on three runs in the third.
Durango cut into the deficit in the top of the fifth with two runs. Grand Junction added one run in the bottom of the fifth to give the final of 8-5.
Gus Kidd led the Demons at the plate with a 2-for-3 showing. He had two doubles, drew one walk, drove in three runs and scored once. Dawson Marcum went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, Gage Mestas was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Gavin Mestas went 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored and Keegan D’Aleo added an RBI.
Gavin Mestas took the loss for DHS. He pitched five innings, gave up nine hits, one walk and struck out eight batters. Seven of the eight runs scored against him were earned.
The Demons committed two errors and left nine runners on base.
Zac Coleman got the win for the Tigers. He pitched five innings, allowed eight hits and three walks and struck out five Demons. All five runs against were earned.
Christian Hafey had a two-inning save, as he allowed no hits, walked two batters and struck out one.
Coleman led the Tigers at the plate, as he went 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Chavis Nourse belted a solo home run for his lone hit of the day, and Hafey went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Durango will play two games Friday and Saturday at Montrose (8-2).
Herald sports writer Karl Schneider contributed to this report.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
