Senior southpaw Jason Parker delivers a pitch to a Monarch batter Monday afternoon, in a game that had high winds, abundant sunshine and rainfall at various times.. (Herron photo)

 

 

Selected as the No. 1 seed for the annual APS Metro baseball Championships, Rio Rancho destroyed visiting Manzano 14-0 Monday afternoon.

Senior southpaw Jason Parker (1-0) got more than enough runs in the bottom of the first, as Casen Savage led of with a single and Niko Alcala walked. Two outs later, Dean Ellison singled them both home.

The Rams added three runs in the third, when they had an unusual sequence of what might be called a “reverse cycle”: Alcala led off with a homer, Kai Fitak tripled, Vascon Smith doubled and, one out later, Sean Vigil singled. Fitak plated on a wild pitch; Nick Di Gregorio’s fielder’s choice scored Smith and gave the Rams (8-1-2) a 5-0 lead.

Fourteens batters came to the plate in the fourth, when the Rams scored nine runs on just six hits.

Smith had a two-run single and pinch-hitter Josh Boyer had a three-run triple; pinch-hitter Tyler Griego had an RBI single and pinch-hitter Dylan Archuleta had an RBI double.

By game’s end, coach Ron Murphy got 19 players into the lopsided contest. Parker struck out nine and only allowed one ball to be hit beyond the infield, with no Monarch getting as far as third base until the fifth inning, when Ryan Lewis did mop-up work.

Alcala, Smith and Dylan Tinker led the Rams’ 13-hit attack with two hits each.

The victory sent the Rams into a second-round game Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. vs. visiting Los Lunas, a 5-0 winner at Valley on Monday. The Tigers are the 9 seed.

There is no charge for admission at this APS event.

The Rams play again Thursday at home at 3:30, when they’ll face St. Pius X or their District 1-5A foe Volcano Vista.

The championship game is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. If the rams keep winning, they’ll host it.

Storm advance, too

The No. 3 Cleveland Storm beat visiting Albuquerque High 7-1 Monday afternoon, so the Storm (8-1) will again be home Wednesday at 3:30 to meet Sandia, an 11-1 winner over Albuquerque High on Monday.

For the winners, Silas Hilton had an RBI triple, Chase Tyler was 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs, and pitcher Anthony Del Angel gave up one run in four innings.