HOBBS HIGH SCHOOL EAGLES

CLAYTON JONES

NEWS-SUN

It’s no secret the Hobbs baseball team has fun playing the game.Then again, it’s easy to crack a smile when putting on a performance like the Eagles did Saturday. Seventh-ranked Hobbs dominated Alamogordo in every facet of the game in sweeping the Tigers, 17-0 and 13-2, in a pair of five-inning, run-rule victories at Sportsman Field. The wins moved the Eagles to 13-3 on the season and came after splitting a doubleheader with Roswell on Tuesday. “I knew these guys would respond,” Hobbs coach Marco Boyle said. “These guys have been playing so well. ... I never had a doubt. When we relax and just go out and play, we are tough – especially at home.” Hobbs ace Kaleb Nelson (3-2) returned to form in game one, throwing a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and no walks in a very efficient 55-pitch effort. The senior right-hander entered the game 2-2 with a 4.44 ERA before shutting down the Alamogordo bats. “That’s the Kaleb we know,” Boyle said. “He was working down in the zone and threw very well.” Kameran McIlroy gave Nelson all the support he needed in the first inning with a three-run home run after being given the green light on a 3-0 count.McIlroy finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Hobbs took advantage of a pair of Alamogordo errors in the second inning to score fourruns to push the lead to 7-0. A two-run double by Sanchez along with run-scoring hits by Austin Bertola, Anthony Boyle and Ty Pacheco made it 12-0 after three. The Eagles scored five more runs – including a two-run double by B.J. Hicks – to make it 17-0. Boyle finished the game 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs while Bertola also had three hits.Alamogordo’s Michael Smith got the loss, going 2 1/3 innings and giving up 12 runs – eight earned – on nine hits. Game two turned into the Angel Sanchez show as the senior picked up the win on the mound while giving himself plenty of support at the plate. Sanchez gave up two runs –one earned – on four hits with six strikeouts and a walk. Offensively, Sanchez went 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs – including a walkoff three-run homer – a double and five RBIs. Sanchez is now 4-0 on the mound and leads the team with 37 RBIs, six homers, seven doubles to go along with his .527 average in 15 games. Sanchez said the team as a whole is playing with an elevated level of conviction. “We are just playing with confidence,” Sanchez said. “... We’re hungry. We want to prove everyone wrong. We are just having fun and relaxing.” Hobbs found itself trailing 2-1 heading into its half of the third inning when Bertola hit a one-out blast over the center field wall to tie the game. On the very next pitch, Sanchez crushed a ball over the left field fence to put the Eagles up 3-2. Later in the third, Ryan Cooley hit an RBI double,Tanor Tinley drove in two with a single and Hicks drovein a pair with a double to make it 8-2. The Eagles put the game away in the bottom of the fifth when Tinley hit a two-run homer to left field and Sanchez ended the game with a threerun blast to make the final score 13-2. Along with Sanchez, Tinley finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a double short of the cycle. Alamogordo left-hander Justin Jewell picked up the loss, going three innings and giving up eight runs – seven earned – on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk.Hobbs has a week off before hosting Artesia 1 p.m. Saturday.