Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Eagles grab only one win at tourney

Mental lapses on defense are costly

Duane Barbati News-Bulletin Staff Writer; dbarbati@news-bulletin.com

Facing some tough competition, Belen placed seventh in the Farmington Scorpion Invitational Baseball Tournament.

"All three were really competitive games," said BHS coach Steve Contreras. "We win by a run or lose by a run. We hit the ball really well. We have some mental lapses on defense that are costing us."

The Eagles faced Erie, Colo. on Thursday, but lost 11-10. Friday, Belen lost to Albuquerque High 10-8, but won 8-7 against Unitah, Utah, on Saturday to finish out the tournament.

Justin Maestas went 3-for-4 and hit a solo home run in the Unitah game. Jamie Yalch had two doubles and went 4-for-4. Yalch started on the mound for the Eagles, but Carlos Barela came in on relief in the fourth inning.

Unitah came out hitting in the first inning and scored five runs. Belen scored two runs in the second and four in the third to take the lead 6-5. The Utes scored one run in the third to tie the game, but the Eagles scored one run in the fifth to make it 7-6. Unitah tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth. Belen won the game with a run in the eighth inning.

"It was a good to end on a win," said Contreras. "Especially after they came out with a 5-0 lead. We came back to win in extra innings."

Jordan Moore went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Steven Contreras was 2-for-3 and scored 3 runs in Friday's loss to Albuquerque High. Carlos Barela had one hit and two RBI.

The Eagles went scoreless until the fourth inning when they got their first two runs. Belen scored three runs each in the sixth and seventh innings. The Bulldogs scored twice in the second, three times in the fifth and five times in the sixth inning.

"We have to develop mental toughness to make routine defensive plays," said Contreras. "Our goal is to work as hard as we can on a daily bases. Our early experience will help us come district time."

The Eagles were scheduled to play at Socorro on Tuesday after News-Bulletin press time.

Belen is idle until Tuesday, March 25, when the Cibola Cougars come to Belen for a 4 p.m. game. The veteran lineup of the Cougars, one of the most highly regarded Class 5A teams, thrashed the Los Lunas Tigers 10-1 in Cibola's season opener on March 6.

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