Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES – Clovis High baseball coach Richard Cruce wasn't surprised his team's game at Portales on Tuesday night went down to the wire.
The Wildcats scored three times in the top of the sixth to break a tie en route to an 8-5 victory at Ram Field.
"I kind of expected it," Cruce said. "They usually play us tough.
"There were a lot of good plays made (on both sides). They turned a couple of double plays on us."
Brothers Javi and Jashias Jimenez combined to do the decisive damage in the sixth inning. Javi Jimenez, an eighth-grader, put the Cats (6-7) in front with a run-scoring single while Jashias, a senior, added insurance later in the frame with a two-run knock.
Clovis, coming off twin walkoff victories against Mayfield three days earlier at Bell Park, won for the fifth time in six games since a 1-6 start.
"I'm happy the kids are just playing baseball," Cruce said. "They're relaxed and just having fun."
Junior Eli Rodriguez tied the game 1-1 with an RBI single in a four-run third before Javi Jimenez, who led a nine-hit attack with 3-for-4, a double and three RBIs, singled home the go-ahead run. A balk made it 3-1, and sophomore Quinn Culiver capped the rally with a run-scoring single.
Portales (3-2) pulled even with two runs in the fourth and another in the fifth. The Rams collected 11 hits in the contest, with junior Noah Swift finishing 3-for-4 with a double and four others adding a pair of hits.
Junior right-hander Jayden Jameson earned the win, going five innings and allowing eight hits and four walks while striking out seven. Sophomore Koby Rivera gave up three hits in two innings, but struck out two and kept PHS off the scoreboard to earn a save.
The Cats return to action on Tuesday, hosting Roswell Goddard at Bell Park in a doubleheader starting at 4:30 p.m.