Thanks to its pitching and timely hitting, the Southwest Colorado All-Stars of Cortez Little League’s 11-to-12-year-old division will play another day.
Playing against the Ignacio All-Stars on July 9, the Southwest Colorado League All-Stars, led by pitcher Ryan Medina, recorded an 11-1 victory.
Showcasing a fastball, Medina pitched four and two-thirds innings, allowing one run and striking out seven Ignacio batters.
While Medina was dominating on the mound, several players produced game-changing hits, including third-baseman Neil Farias, whose RBI single to left field in the first inning put Southwest Colorado ahead 4-0.
Southwest Colorado went on to score three runs in the bottom of the third inning before adding two more in the bottom of the fourth inning to move ahead 9-1.
After Dylan Barb relieved Medina on the mound in the top of the fifth inning and struck out the only batter he faced, Southwest Colorado came to bat hungry for a win.
Kevin Purkat opened the bottom of the fifth inning with an infield single, and Shawn Higgins followed with a sharp single to left. Tristan York then smashed a two-run double to left field to put Southwest Colorado ahead by 10 runs and end the game.
York later said that he was just trying to make solid contact.
“(The pitch) came inside and I turned on it,” said York.
“I feel like we dominated,” added Higgins, who scored the game-winning run.
Thanks to their big win, Southwest Colorado will play an elimination game against either the Durango All-Stars or the Bayfield All-Stars in Cortez on July 11.
On June 8, Southwest Colorado fell to the Durango All-Stars 13-6 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
If Southwest Colorado wins on July 11, the team will play again on July 12 in Cortez.
Updates on the team’s progress will be available online at www.facebook.com/cortez journal.