Karen Boehler
CCSR writer/editor
Kevin Kelly tried to beat out a throw at home and just missed, getting called out on a fielders choice.
(CCSR photo by Karen Boehler)
ARTESIA — The Roswell baseball team got rocked in the opening game of the Artesia Tournament Thursday, falling 13-1 to Farmington in a game that was close early, but broke wide open in a 12-run Scorpion fourth.
Starting Coyote pitcher Seth Seabrease looked shaky in the first, walking the first two batters, but a fielder’s choice got the first out and a double play got Roswell out of the inning without giving up any runs.
The Coyotes (0-3) them took advantage of a Scorpion (1-0) error, putting David Herrera on base, then scoring him on a two-out double by Joe Vale.
Farmington tied the game in the top of the second when Kyler Bermost tripled and scored on a sacrifice by Desmond Martinez, then each team went quietly in their next innings.
Roswell seemed poised to score in the bottom of the third when Kevin Kelly reached second on a fielding error by the Farmington center fielder then stole third. But Gabe Garcia struck out and the Scorps caught Kelly out at home on a fielder’s choice by David Herrera. A groundout by Seabrease ended the stanza, then the sky fell in.
First baseman Alfredo Rodriguez tries to catch Scorpion Kyler Bermost off base.
(CCSR photo by Karen Boehler)
“We start the game really well,” said coach Brian Byrd. “We take the lead and there in the bottom of the third we had the runner on third base, nobody out and were unable to push it across then they came out in the fourth and their bats came alive.
“I’m not going to take anything away from Farmington. They’re a good ball club. Year in and year out, they’re very good. But that’s no excuse on our part to not get us out of that inning.’
The control problems Seabrease had in the first few innings seemed to compound as he walked four, hit two and gave up four hits, the last a three-run home run by Joe Chandler.
A passed ball and a fielding error didn’t help then, when Alfredo Rodriguez came in to try to staunch the flow, he walked the first three batters he faced before finally getting the third out of the inning — 18 batters and 12 runs later.
“As pitchers we’ve got to be able to throw strikes, let them hit the ball, make plays on defense,” Byrd said. “As a catcher we’ve got to be able to catch the ball. It just comes down to the real little things. There’s no secret to it. It’s a real simple game.”
The coach said pitchers can have bad outing, but when the defense doesn’t back him up, bad things can pile up.
“(Seth) lost focus,” Byrd said. “We didn’t make a play or two behind him, and then he feels like he needs to press a little bit. When he does that, he tends to try to overthrow, and that’s when the walks happen.
“But we’re going to work on it. It was a good experience for us to play a team of that caliber and there’s definitely some things we’re going to take from it and get better.”
Farmington coach Sean Trotter was more than happy with his team’s outing, especially considering it was their first game of the year.
“We took advantage of a couple of things and had some good at bats,” he said. “I thought for the most part, they had good at bats from the start. We just got a little unlucky a few times. Hits some balls right at guys and they made the plays. I’m proud of the effort, that’s for sure.”
The Coyotes only had two hits in the game — the one by Vale and a pinch hit single by Randy Seiler to open the fifth — and Farmington only had five, but a triple and home run helped them capitalize on the Roswell mistakes.
The Coyotes will try again Friday for their first victory of the year, when they face the loser of the Cleveland/Carlsbad game. (Those results were not posted.)
Either way, Byrd said, it’s going to be another tough game.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s going to be good,” he said. “That’s why we wanted to come to this tournament, because of some good quality teams. I’m of the philosophy that you’ve got to play the best to be the best, so it’s only going to make us better.”
That game is set to begin at 1 p.m.
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