Some parts of the country are still digging out of piles of snow, others have been playing baseball for a couple of weeks now. But in Oklahoma and New Mexico the long wait ended yesterday with offseason workouts and scrimmages in the rear-view mirror. Now its time for the real deal. PG checks in on opening day games from some of the top teams and players in these two states. Check our New & Notes blog later in the day for additional score updates.
Oklahoma
Broken Arrow 5, Bixby 0
We start with Broken Arrow (OK), who PG tabbed as the #3 team in the nation in the preseason top 50. The Tigers did not disappoint in their opener. Broken Arrow has arguably the best pitching staff in the entire nation, headlined by righty Archie Bradley (ranked #3 in the nation by PG).
Bradley lived up to his preseason billing, with 6 strong innings, allowing just one hit and a walk while piling up 12 strikeouts. A single in the 4th by Brock Lewis was the only hit Bixby could manage against the All-American. Bradley told the Broken Arrow Ledger "Dylan (BAHS catcher Delso) he called a good game and we were on
the same page, and the defense behind me was
great." The Tigers offense was paced by SS Tyler McKinzie who went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, 2 RBI, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Strong start for a squad with lofty expectations for this season.
Tulsa Union 15, Stillwater 5
Union looked the part of defending 6A state champions in the 15-5 win in the opener. The Redskins held Stillwater to just 4 hits as the powerhouse, which has produced 4 MLB players in its history, improved to 1-0.
Stillwater's Hayden Killam went 2-for-2 with a double but it wasn't enough to keep it close for the Pioneers. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Stillwater, who will take on Broken Arrow on Friday.
New Mexico
La Cueva 16, Atrisco Heritage 0 (5innings)
The defending New Mexico 5A Champions got their season off to a great start, crushing Artisco Heritage. The Bears crushed seven Home Runs and had used 4 pitchers to combine on a 10 strikeout no-hitter. La Cueva has won 7 of the last 9 state championships and couldn't have gotten 2011 off to a better start. The Bears entered the season ranked 44th in the PG National Top 50 and performances like this justify that lofty ranking.
Stephen Carabajal got the win for La Cueva while facing the minimum over 4 innings and added a Home Run in a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Colton Snell led the way offensively, going 3-for-3 with 2 Home Runs and driving in 5 runs. Ryan Padilla (New Mexico commit) went 3-for-3 with a Home Run, Zach Nelson and Kevin Ade each went 2-for-3 with a Home Run and Reece Lucero was 2-for-3 with a Home Run and closed out the game with 3 up 3 down in 5th.
Cleveland (3-0) 14, Moriarty 4
While La Cueva is the team that gets most of the attention in New Mexico, it is C Blake Swihart of Cleveland that generates the most interest from MLB scouts. He got his season off to a great start, going 5-for-6 with 2 Home Runs and 3 doubles in a season opening doubleheader on Saturday against Farmington.
The Storm won their first two with scores of 14-6 and 14-4. RHP Matt Villalobos got the win in the season opener, with Robert Montoya and Nick Haase earning wins for the Storm in the next 2. Haase allowed just one earned run over 4 innings of work on 2 hits, striking out 4 yesterday.
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