The annual District 8 Little League playoffs began this week, with three teams representing Cibola Little League. (Sunset Little League had yet to send its all-star rosters to The Observer by press time.)
Cibola Little League recently capped its regular season with first-time championship games in its Minors and Majors divisions, thanks to the cooperation of Rio Rancho High School softball coach Paul Kohman, who allowed CLL to use his complex at Eagle Ridge Middle School.
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MINORS DIVISION
Rattlers 6, Sandlot 0: Shortstop Zayne Jones keyed the snakes’ victory, stroking an infield single in his first at-bat, a leadoff double in the fourth and a walk in the sixth, scoring in each of his latter two plate appearances.
The Rattlers, coached by Bryan Twyeffort, scored all the runs they’d need to win in the top of the first inning, when Jarod Buffington and Bare Twyeffort each reached base and came around to score, with Jones’ infield hit to second base plating Twyeffort.
Dominic Valenzuela led off the second with a walk, went to second on a wild pitch by Sandlot starter Andres Lucero, moved to third when Steven Meyers grounded out and made it a 3-0 game on another wild pitch from Lucero.
Jones’ fourth-inning two-bagger was followed by yet another wild pitch, and he gave the Rattlers a 4-0 lead when he scored on a single by Joseph Glenn.
The Rattlers scored their final two runs in the sixth inning, when Beau Williams reached on an errors and soon scored on a single by Lonnie Headrick, who made it a 6-0 game when he scored on a bases-loaded walk to Valenzuela.
The Sandlot, coached by Ray Brewer, managed only two singles in the game, by Elijah Brewer and Carlos Trujillo, the only Sandlot players to get as far as third base.
Rattlers pitchers Buffington, Williams and Twyeffort combined to fan a dozen Sandlot players in the victory.
Jones was named the game’s offensive most valuable player, while Trujillo, the Sandlot shortstop, earned defensive MVP honors.
MAJORS DIVISION
Yardmen 5, Aces 3: Out-hit five to one, the Yardmen took advantage of six Aces errors for their victory. The two-run margin of victory came on sixth-inning bases-loaded walks to Camden Davis and Mason Martinez.
A walk, three errors, a wild pitch and an infield single by Chris Glenn helped the Yardmen plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.
The Aces knotted the game at 2 in the third on walks to Matthew Nellesen and Alex Carreon and a two-out double by Cody Kemp.
Lucas Andazola led off the bottom of the third by reaching on an error by pitcher Allan Ramsey, moving to second on a wild pitch and scoring on another defensive miscue.
The Aces, coached by Matthew Ramsey, tied the game for the final time in the top of the fifth on a walk to Carreon, and infield single by Kemp and an RBI single by Ramsey.
Coach Eddie Wanek’s Yardmen took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth when Scott Habermehl drew a one-out walk and his brother, Loren, reached on a fielder’s choice to put two men aboard.
Corey Vela, Davis and Martinez were then walked to first load the bases and then plate the game’s final runs.
In the Aces’ last hurrah, Steve Montoya doubled off reliever Scott Habermehl, in relief of his brother, and Matt Smith-Duran walked to bring the winning run to the plate.
But Scott Habermehl got Nellesen to pop out and Carreon to strike out swinging before — for reasons unknown — Montoya was caught trying to steal third base and end the ballgame.
Kemp, on the strength of his key two-bagger and an infield single, earned offensive MVP laurels, while Loren Habermehl, who fanned 13 Aces in his five innings of work, was named the defensive MVP.
Here are the CLL all-star rosters:
Minors all-stars
John Gallegos, Justin Warren, Joe Balistreri, Devin Randall, Nick Babinaux, Alec Dodson, Zachary Privette, Carlos Trujillo, Noah Lucero, Gabe Twyeffort, Zayne Jones, Cam Keeling and Jared Buffington. (Bryan Twyeffort is the manager.)
10- and 11-year-old
all-stars
Justin Kear, Alexander Vakos, Austin Wanek, Allan Ramsey, Jake Robinson, Cade Forbert, Andres Lucero, Elijah Brewer, Kyle Troche, Noah Mingo, Jarrid Le Doux, Michael Snow and Beau Williams. (Matt Ramsey is the manager.)
Majors all-stars
Lucas Andazola, Ryan Byer, Biggham Headrick, Dylan Forbert, Elijah Costales, Alex Jaramillo, Stevie Montoya, Christopher Ortiz, Adam Rodriquez, Cody Kemp, Grant Golder, Corey Kemp and Alex DeVargas. (Nick Costales is the manager.).
(The Observer will publish the Sunset Little League all-star rosters when they’re made available.)
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