Cats take split with Cavemen

Staff report

It’s been a couple of weeks since junior Matt Lanier has been on the mound for Clovis High’s baseball team.

Lanier, who has been limited to DH duty lately because of a rib injury, worked the seventh inning of Friday’s District 4-5A opener against Carlsbad at Bell Park. While a little shaky. he was able to nail down a save when he got the final out to leave the bases loaded in a 6-5 win over the Cavemen.

Carlsbad’s Kain Fierro threw a three-hit shutout in the nightcap to give the Cavemen (18-6, 5-3 district) a split with a 5-3 win.

Clovis (7-17, 2-4), which had dropped a one-run road decision to both Carlsbad and Hobbs in district play, rallied from a 4-1 deficit against Carlsbad lefty Caleb Prentiss behind two-run doubles from Austin Adams in the fifth, capping a three-run rally, and Kordell Tindle in the sixth.

Junior Landon Williams went six innings for the win, allowing nine hits and striking out four.

“We’re playing a little better baseball,” CHS coach Shane Leatherwood said. “We’re finally getting healthy. Kordell and Austin have had some big hits for us the last few games.”

Lanier gave up two singles and two walks (one intentional) in the seventh before getting a popup to short to end it.

Lanier also got significant work in the nightcap, pitching 4 2/3 innings in relief of Adams after the Cavemen opened a 4-0 lead.

“We hit line drive after line drive after line drive,” Leatherwood said of the nightcap. We just couldn’t get anything to fall.”

The Cats end the regular season with a 4:30 p.m. twin bill next Friday at Bell Park, probably needing a sweep of the Eagles to earn a Class 5A state tournament berth.