Tucumcari falls against East Mountain

The East Mountain baseball team racked up 32 hits during a 41-0 district victory May 25 over host Tucumcari.

A hobbled Rattlers squad burned through four pitchers during the game. The Timberwolves seized a 14-0 lead after two innings, then added 12 runs in the third and 11 in the fifth before the game was called by the mercy rule.

“This team was a good-hitting team,” Tucumcari coach Dennis Dysart said. “Everything we threw up there, they hit. It wasn’t like our pitchers were having trouble. It’s just they were hitting the ball and finding the holes.”

Dysart said he found out later the Timberwolves practice their hitting with live pitchers and not batting machines.

East Mountain improved to 4-3 overall and trailed Sandia Park, unbeaten in district play, with a 2-2 mark in District 5.

Tucumcari fell to 0-6, 0-3. Joey Dysart, back from an injury that hampered him the previous week, was the only Rattler to get a hit and stole two bases.

Coach Dysart acknowledged his team, which includes four eighth-graders, wasn’t just overwhelmed by East Mountain’s batters.

Tucumcari had problems tracking down fly balls to the outfield, and the 90-degree heat at first pitch sickened at least two players because they had failed to hydrate properly.

“We had some problems,” he said. “Kids are going to have to learn; they’re all young.”

Dysart said the COVID-19 restrictions also kept many of his pitchers from conditioning their arms during the offseason as much as he’d like.

“Their arms are hurting because they haven’t thrown enough,” he said.

NMMI 29, Tucumcari 3

New Mexico Military Institute took control with 17 runs in the first inning during a 29-3 victory on Friday over visiting Tucumcari.

The Rattlers fell to 0-8 overall.

The Colts (8-2) totaled 35 hits against Tucumcari pitchers Josh Griego and Luiso Molinas. Tucumcari also committed 13 errors.

“Basically, the first game was too-young players,” coach Dysart said. “Also, two of my starting outfielders were not there. Both had to work.”

Joey Dysart went 2-for-3, including a triple, with two runs scored and an RBI for Tucumcari. Johnathan Blea also drove in a run for the Rattlers.

Tucumcari lost the second game by forfeit after three innings, trailing 16-3, because Blea and Dysart both aggravated old injuries and were unable to continue.