Homer-happy Cats sweep Manzano

ALBUQUERQUE — Playing in a small park with the wind howling out, no lead was safe Saturday in Clovis High’s three-game District 4-5A baseball marathon against Manzano.

But the Wildcats prevailed, highlighted by a 21-16 win in the middle game in which they rallied from seven runs down in the sixth inning.

Clovis (15-3, 4-2 district) won the opener 18-12 and the final game 13-5.

In an eight-hour-plus marathon, Clovis pounded out 47 hits and outhomered the Monarchs 10-8.

A single game Friday was rained out, necessitating the rare tripleheader, and the finale was halted after five innings due to steadily increasing rain.

The Cats moved into second place in 4-5A after dropping two of three at home the previous weekend to Carlsbad.

Carlsbad swept visiting Eldorado in a three-game set.

Leading 13-2 in the final game, Clovis coach Shane Shallenberger had his team bunt into three consecutive outs in the top of the fifth in an attempt to get that frame in and make it an official game. Manzano (6-8, 0-3) extended the contest, scoring three runs, but in the end it was mission accomplished.

“We did what we had to do,” Shallenberger said of the series. “It was a long day, and the kids fought hard. To win three games like that, it’s awesome.”

Clovis’ Jason Seefeld homered in each game, while Mark Replogle and Young hit one in each of the first two contests.

The offensive outburst allowed the Cats to survive 10 errors in the three games.

Monarchs junior Brian Cavazos-Galvez blasted five round-trippers — three in the first game, good for seven RBI, and two in the second — while senior Adam Kramer hit a pair.

“It’s a small park and the wind was blowing out to right-center field,” Shallenberger said. “A lot of those home runs were not legitimate. It was definitely not a pitcher’s day.”

The Cats took control of the opener with an eight-run sixth, which wiped out an 8-7 deficit. The rally featured a three-run homer by sophomore Jordan Moore, a two-run blast by John Props and a solo shot by Replogle.

The teams exchanged double-figure innings in the second game. After Ryan Denton hit a three-run homer for the Cats, Manzano responded with a 10-run rally in the bottom of the first and stretched the lead to16-9 before Clovis erupted for 12 runs in the sixth.

Seefeld hit a two-run homer to tie the score, and Replogle gave the Cats the lead with a three-run shot. Replogle, Denton and Young all drove in four runs in the contest.

In the finale, the Cats scored five in the second and six in the third to open a 12-2 lead, and senior Richard Urban made it stand up with a complete-game pitching effort.

Seefeld knocked in five runs in the contest with a three-run homer and a pair of run-scoring groundouts.

First game

Clovis 18, Manzano 12

Clovis 205 008 3 —18 20 4

Manzano 230 031 3 —12 11 1

Robert Riggins, Jason Seefeld (6) and Richard Urban; Ryan Eolide, Kristian Sifuentes (6) and Josh Richardson. W — Riggins. L — Eolide. 2B — Manzano: Adam Kramer, Ryan Raether. HR — Clovis: Seefeld, Mark Young, Jordan Moore, Mark Replogle, John Props. Manzano: Brian Cavazos-Galvez 3, Kramer.

Second game

Clovis 21, Manzano 17

Clovis 3 30 03(12) 0 —21 15 4

Manzano (10)11 04 1 0 —17 14 4

Young, Luke Gray (1), Ryan Denton (4), Seefeld (6) and Urban; Kramer, James Farrell (6), Taegher (6), Thomas Frinkman (6) and Richardson. W — Denton. L — Farrell. 2B — Clovis: Replogle. Manzano: Raether, Farrell, Sifuentes, Chris Maes. HR — Clovis: Denton, Young, Replogle, Seefeld. Manzano: Kramer, Cavazos-Galvez 2.

Third game

Clovis 13, Manzano 5

Clovis 156 10 —13 12 2

Manzano 200 03 — 5 10 2

Urban and Replogle; Manny Martinez, Jayson Garcia (3), Frinkman (3), Payne (3) and Sifuentes. W — Urban. L — Martinez. 2B — Clovis: Cruce, Denton, Moore. Manzano: Martinez. HR — Clovis: Seefeld. Manzano: Kramer. Records — Clovis 15-3 (4-2), Manzano 6-8 (0-3).

JV scores — Clovis 15, Manzano 8 (Friday); Clovis 6, Manzano 5; Clovis 6, Manzano 3 (Saturday).