The Trinidad Triggers (33-26) had a tough outing on Friday, as the Las Vegas Train Robbers (34-24) dominated in a 13-5 win at Rodriguez Park.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored five runs in the seventh on , an RBI double by Will Walsh, an RBI double by Adam Kam, and a two-run error.
Lopez racked up three RBIs on two hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He.
Ryan Wood got the win, running his season record to 1-2. He allowed four runs over four innings. Wood struck out one, walked six and gave up three hits.
Calen Hindricks (0-1) took the loss for the Trinidad Triggers. He allowed six runs in four innings, walked four and struck out three.
Edison Alvarez is a Grizzle, Alvarez to Gateway Grizzlies of Frontier League
Edison Alvarez was traded to the Ga
Edison Alvarez was traded to the Gateway Grizzles of the Frontier League. Alvarez was the 2013 Pecos League Pitcher of the Year. He follows the footsteps of Brett Kennedy who was the 2012 Pitcher of the Year. Kennedy also signed with Gateway. Alvarez lead the Pecos League in ERA and won his only playoff start.
Roswell Invaders 12 Las Vegas Train Robbers 6
The Roswell Invaders won the 2013 P
The Roswell Invaders won the 2013 Pecos League Championship by completing a two game sweep against the Las Vegas Train Robbers.
Vinny Mejia and Mike McCarthy lead the way for the Invaders. Each homered twice in the game. Mejia was named Pecos League regular season MVP an McCarthy was named post season MVP.
Erick Gaylord had a key home run for the Invaders.
Adam Kam and Gary Stauff each homered for the Invaders. Dillon Usiak and Kam lead the Train Robbers throughout the series. The Robbers scored enough runs to win but their bullpen could not hold down the Invaders.
Jacob Cook started for the Invaders going six innings allowing four runs. Davis Henderson threw the ninth inning to seal to deal for the Invaders.
Key at bat helps the Roswell Invaders defeat the Las Vegas Train Robbers 7-6
Eric Berkowitz came off the bench and never even had to swing his bat as Berkowitz reached on a stolen base in the six to lead the Roswell Invaders (3-0) to a 7-6 win over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (2-1) on Sunday at Joe Bauman Park.
With the Roswell Invaders trailing by one in the sixth inning,.
Mike McCarthy hit two home runs for the Roswell Invaders. McCarthy went 3-5 in the game with three RBIs and two runs scored. McCarthy homered in the fourth and eighth innings.
Johnathon Sa recorded his first win of the year for the Roswell Invaders. He struck out two, walked one and surrendered one hit.
Eddie Medina couldnt get it done on the mound for the Las Vegas Train Robbers, taking a loss. He lasted just two innings, walked none, struck out three, and allowed three runs.
Train Robbers fans support the Invaders in Roswell
The Las Vegas Train Robbers got gre
The Las Vegas Train Robbers got great support from their fans and host families who made the trip down from San Miguel County to support their Train Robbers. The Train Robbers lost a tough series in Roswell but the players gave it their all. There are many in Las Vegas who appreciate the efforts of the players.
The Trinidad Triggers outdone by Stauff and the Las Vegas Train Robbers 5-2
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (1-0) beat the Trinidad Triggers (0-1) 5-2 on Saturday behind Gary Stauff, who collected three hits. He singled in the second, fourth, and sixth innings.
Edison Alvarez picked up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Alvarez allowed two earned runs, nine hits and one walk while striking out five over eight innings of work.
Frank Florio racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Trinidad Triggers. He singled in the second inning and homered in the sixth innings.
Anthony Smith (0-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just six innings, walked two, struck out three, and allowed five runs.
Fifth-inning rally sparks blowout win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers 8-2
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (2-0) beat the Trinidad Triggers 8-2 in seven innings on Saturday after a five-run explosion in the fifth inning.
Randy Wells got a hit in each of his three at bats. He singled in the first, third, and sixth innings.
Atsushi Hebisawa picked up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Hebisawa allowed two earned runs, five hits and no walks while striking out five over six innings of work.
Frank Florio had a busy day at the plate, collecting two extra-base hits. He homered in the second inning and doubled in the fourth inning.
Benji Waite was charged with his first loss of the year. He allowed seven runs in five innings, walked four and struck out one.
Dillon Usiak, Andrew Lopez and Wells helped lead the Las Vegas Train Robbers. They combined for five hits and six RBIs.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers fall 11-4 at the hands of the Santa Fe Fuego
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (41-27) didnt stand a chance on Wednesday, as the Santa Fe Fuego (36-31) captured a blowout 11-4 win at Fort Marcy Park.
The Santa Fe Fuego scored three runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Josh Barnett and an RBI single by Jimmy Maxwell.
Devonte Odums was hot from the plate for the Santa Fe Fuego. Odums went 2-5, drove in one and scored two runs. He doubled in the second inning and singled in the seventh inning.
Kevin Camacho picked up the win for the Santa Fe Fuego. Camacho pitched nine innings and allowed no earned runs, nine hits and no walks while striking out six.
Shayne Miller was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just five innings, walked six, struck out five, and allowed four runs.
Edison Alvarez is the 2013 Pecos League Pitcher of the year.
Edison was the ace of the Las Vegas Train Robbers and the first overall pick in the Pecos Spring League.
Edison went 8-1 with a Pecos League Record 2.05 ERA. He had three complete games and threw 79 innings.
He pitched four years of affiliated ball for the Minnesota Twins Organization before this season.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers cruise past the Raton Osos 13-1
The Raton Osos (13-51) had a tough outing on Monday, as the Las Vegas Train Robbers (40-25) dominated in a 13-1 win in seven innings.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored four runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Gary Stauff, , a sacrifice fly by Eddie Medina, and.
Joey Haskell got on base four times in the game for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He scored three runs and had one RBI. He doubled in the third inning and singled in the fifth and sixth innings.
Medina got the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers thanks to 15 strikeouts. Medina allowed one earned run, six hits and two walks over seven innings.
The Raton Osos were led by a flawless day at the dish by Stedman Smith, who went 2-2 against the Las Vegas Train Robbers pitching. He singled in the third inning and doubled in the fifth inning.
Jesse Meier ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his first loss of the year. He allowed six runs in four innings, walked two and struck out none.
Edison Alvarez is 2013 Pecos League Pitcher of the Year
Edison Alvarez is the 2013 Pecos League Pitcher of the year.
Edison was the ace of the Las Vegas Train Robbers and the first overall pick in the Pecos Spring League.
Edison went 8-1 with a Pecos League Record 2.05 ERA. He had three complete games and threw 79 innings.
He pitched four years of affiliated ball for the Minnesota Twins Organization before this season.
Stauff helps the Las Vegas Train Robbers down the Raton Osos 5-3
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (41-25) beat the Raton Osos (13-52) 5-3 in seven innings on Monday at Gabrielle Field behind Gary Stauff, who went 3-3 at the plate. He singled in the second and third innings and doubled in the sixth inning.
Shane Casey reached base three times in the game for the Raton Osos. He tripled in the first inning and singled in the fifth inning.
Travis Renwick got the win, running his season record to 1-1. He allowed one run over five innings. Renwick struck out two, walked two and gave up five hits.
Kellen Quintana (0-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just six innings, walked one, struck out six, and allowed five runs.
Santa Fe Fuego 6 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5
Santa Fe Fuego 6 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5
This game was played on 7/23/2013 at Rodriguez Park
Las Vegas Train Robbers 8 Raton Osos 1
Las Vegas Train Robbers 8 Raton Osos 1
This game was played on 7/21/2013 at Rodriguez Park
New Mexico Highlands to host first round of Northern Division Playoffs
After three consecutive days of rai
After three consecutive days of rain in Northern New Mexico/Southern Colorado the Las Vegas Train Robbers and Trinidad Triggers will finally play a doubleheader for their playoff series. The game will be played at New Mexico Highlands where they have a fieldturf infield. It will mark the first time in Pecos League History a game is played on artificial turf.
After numerous rainouts and attempts to play the games in Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Raton and Trinidad, New Mexico Highlands was the only option. Mayor Ortiz and New Mexico Highlands came through when the Pecos League needed support. This is the second time Highlands has reached out to the Pecos League this season. Earlier in the year the league held its Northern Division combine in Las Vegas at New Mexico Highlands
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are 2013 Pecos League Northern Division Champions
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are the
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are the 2013 Pecos League Northern Division Champions. They are the first team to win the Northern Division since division format began in 2013.
Here is how the North was won
- The Train Robbers are 2nd in the league in batting average to Roswell at a team batting average o .330
- The Train Robbers are 2nd in the league in team ERA with a 4.74
- The Train Robbers are 2nd in the league in Home Runs to Santa Fe with 73
- In the altitude driven Northern Divison (Randy Wells, Joey Haskell, Will Walsh, Andrew Lopez, Adam Kam, Dylan Usiak and Jon Hotta) all have averages above .300
- Edison Alvarez, Greg Fowler and Atsushi Hebisawa all have sub 4.50 ERA with 11 games started and over 65 innings pitched. These are spectacular numbers for Pecos League Starting Pitchers.
- Ben Runyon has a 1.80 ERA out of the Pen and has pitched in 25 games with 5 saves he has a WHIP of 1. This is impressive considering almost all of these appearences have been in the Altitude Parks in the Northern Division.
- Eddie Medina, Chuck Fontana, Jimmy Jensen, Michael Kershner and Reggie Hochstedler were solid out of the bullpen for the Robbers.
- The Train Robbers were 22-11 at home
- The Train Robbers were 8-4 against Trinidad
- The Train Robbers were 2-1 against Santa Fe
- The Train Robbers were 4-2 against Raton
- The Train Robbers were 7-3 against Taos
- The Train Robbers were 3-2 against White Sands
- The Train Robbers were 3-1 against Alpine
- The Train Robbers where 1-6 against Roswell
Raton Osos 8 Las Vegas Train Robbers 6
Raton Osos 8 Las Vegas Train Robbers 6
This game was played on 7/19/2013 at Gabrielle
Las Vegas Train Robbers 6 Taos Blizzard 1
Las Vegas Train Robbers 6 Taos Blizzard 1
This game was played on 7/18/2013 at Rodriguez Park
Las Vegas Train Robbers 6 Taos Blizzard 4
Las Vegas Train Robbers 6 Taos Blizzard 4
This game was played on 7/17/2013 at Rodriguez Park
The Las Vegas Train Robbers take out the Taos Blizzard with help from Lopez 10-7
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (35-24) beat the Taos Blizzard (23-35) 10-7 on Monday at Rodriguez Park behind Andrew Lopez, who had two extra base hits. He singled in the second inning, homered in the fourth inning, and doubled in the sixth inning.
Jimmy Jensen looked sharp on the mound. Jensen gave up just one hit, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out four during his two innings of work.
Grant Glasser racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Taos Blizzard. He doubled in the second inning and singled in the eighth inning.
Atsushi Hebisawa improved to 6-1 on the year by picking up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He allowed four runs over five innings. He struck out three, walked three and surrendered seven hits.
Nic Kovacs couldnt get it done on the mound for the Taos Blizzard, taking a loss. He allowed eight runs in 3 2/3 innings, walked two and struck out two.
Randy Wells, Lopez and Chris Wilson helped lead the Las Vegas Train Robbers. They combined for seven hits and six RBIs.
The White Sands Pupfish jump on the Las Vegas Train Robbers early and coast to 13-5 win
The White Sands Pupfish (25-33) rolled over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (34-24) 13-5 on Saturday at Rodriguez Park after a seven-run rally in the second inning.
George Ban racked up five RBIs on three hits for the White Sands Pupfish. He homered in the second inning, doubled in the fourth inning, and singled in the fifth inning.
Randy Wells racked up three RBIs on two hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He singled in the third and sixth innings.
Dimitri Nunez got the win, running his season record to 1-0. He allowed one run over five innings. He struck out two, walked two and surrendered five hits.
Ryan Wood (1-2) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, walked three, struck out one, and allowed five runs.
The White Sands Pupfish take out the Las Vegas Train Robbers with help from Leacox 7-5
The White Sands Pupfish (24-33) beat the Las Vegas Train Robbers (34-23) 7-5 on Sunday behind Mark Leacox, who had two extra base hits. He singled in the third inning, doubled in the seventh inning, and tripled in the eighth inning.
Will Walsh did his best to jumpstart the offense for the Las Vegas Train Robbers, reaching base three times. He scored one run and had two RBIs. He homered in the seventh inning.
J.R. Bromberg got the win, running his season record to 1-1. He allowed one run over two innings. Bromberg struck out two, walked one and gave up two hits.
The White Sands Pupfish were sparked by Leacox and Cody Collins, who teamed up for five hits and four RBIs.
Shayne Miller ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. He lasted just two-thirds of an inning, walked one, struck out one, and allowed three runs.
The Raton Osos make the most of 10 hits in 8-7 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers
The Raton Osos (11-45) and the Las Vegas Train Robbers (34-22) both threatened with rallies, but it was the Raton Osos that eventually took advantage of them in an 8-7 win at Rodriguez Park.
Wesley Jones did his best to jumpstart the offense for the Raton Osos, reaching base three times. He scored two runs and had one RBI. He doubled in the first inning and singled in the fifth inning.
Ted LeMasters put himself in scoring position with two extra-base hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He singled in the fourth inning and doubled in the second and fifth innings.
Jessie Meier got the win, running his season record to 1-0. Meier struck out none, walked none and gave up one hit.
Jimmy Jensen (3-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just one inning, walked one, struck out one, and allowed three runs.
Las Vegas Train Robbers 10 Taos Blizzard 5
Las Vegas Train Robbers 10 Taos Blizzard 5
This game was played on 7/12/2013 at Rodriguez Park
The Las Vegas Train Robbers top the Trinidad Triggers behind Walshs 3 hits 13-5
An exceptional effort by Will Walsh carried the Las Vegas Train Robbers (32-21) to a 13-5 win over the Trinidad Triggers (31-24) on Thursday at Central Park.
Walsh hit two home runs for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Walsh went 3-6 in the game with five RBIs and two runs scored. Walsh homered in the fourth inning.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers blew out the Trinidad Triggers thanks to 12 hits, including zero extra base hits. The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored three runs in the seventh on a solo home run by Ryan Lauer and a three-run home run by Lauer.
The Trinidad Triggers couldnt get anything going so long as Chuck Fontana was on the hill. The Trinidad Triggers managed just one hit off of Fontana, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out two during his two innings of work.
Wink Nolan racked up two RBIs on two hits for the Trinidad Triggers. He singled in the fourth inning and homered in the sixth inning.
Atsushi Hebisawa improved to 5-1 on the year by picking up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He allowed two runs over five innings. Hebisawa struck out five, walked two and gave up three hits.
Benji Waite (5-3) took the loss for the Trinidad Triggers. He allowed eight runs in six innings, walked two and struck out four.
Joey Haskell has 5 RBIs Train Robbers win two games in two states in One Day!
The Las Vegas Train Robbers become
The Las Vegas Train Robbers become the first team in Pecos League History to win two games in two states in one day. The Train Robbers started their day off beating the Trinidad Triggers 13-5 in Trinidad. Will Walsh homered twice in the game for the Train Robbers. Atsushi Hebisawa picked up the win on the mound. The Train Robbers then packed up and headed to Raton. The Osos gave the Train Robbers a tough game but the Train Robbers were too much. Chris Wilson homered and Joey Haswell drove in 5 Rbis. The Train Robbers now have a two game lead over Trinidad with numerous upcoming games with Raton and Taos.
LeMasters leads the Las Vegas Train Robbers to 10-9 win over the Trinidad Triggers
An exceptional effort by Ted LeMasters led the Las Vegas Train Robbers (31-21) to a 10-9 win in 10 innings over the Trinidad Triggers (31-23) on Tuesday at Central Park.
LeMasters rocked the Trinidad Triggers with two home runs. LeMasters went 3-5 in the game with two RBIs and two runs scored. LeMasters homered in the fourth and eighth innings.
Each team blasted the others pitching, and there were 19 total runs and 26 hits during the game. There were 12 pitchers used in the game as the two managers searched for any way to finish it off.
Ben Runyon improved to 1-1 on the year by picking up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Runyon struck out three, walked one and gave up two hits.
John Sullivan ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with his first loss of the year. He lasted just one inning, walked two, struck out none, and allowed one run.
Alvarez leads the Las Vegas Train Robbers to 13-1 victory thanks to 8 strikeouts
Sunday was a great day for Edison Alvarez, as Alvarez struck out eight batters to carry the Las Vegas Train Robbers (30-20) to a 13-1 victory over the Trinidad Triggers at Rodriguez Park.
Even in defeat, Frank Florio played well for the Trinidad Triggers (30-22).
It was a good day at the plate for the Trinidad Triggers Florio. Florio went 1-4, drove in one and scored one run. He homered in the seventh inning.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers had no answer for Florio, who kept runners off the basepaths in his appearance. Florio held the Las Vegas Train Robbers hitless over one-third of an inning, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out one.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers ran up the score, scoring runs at will until the final out. The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored five runs in the last three innings to finish off the blowout win. The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored five runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Dillon Usiak, an RBI single by Joey Haskell, an RBI single by Alvarez, a hit by pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Will Walsh.
Adam Kam racked up three RBIs on three hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He singled in the fifth inning, homered in the sixth inning, and doubled in the eighth inning.
Chris Shaklee couldnt get it done on the bump for the Trinidad Triggers, taking a loss. He allowed eight runs in 5 2/3 innings, walked four and struck out six.
Florio leads the Trinidad Triggers to 17-1 win over the Las Vegas Train Robbers
Monday was a great day for Frank Florio, as he hit two home runs to carry the Trinidad Triggers (31-22) to a 17-1 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (30-21) at Central Park.
Andrew Lopez was the lone bright spot for the Las Vegas Train Robbers in the loss.
Lopez got on base three times in the game for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He singled in the second and seventh innings.
The Trinidad Triggers had no answer for Lopez, who kept runners off the basepaths in his appearance. The Trinidad Triggers managed just one hit off of Lopez, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out none during his one inning of work.
The Trinidad Triggers didnt let up, as they kept racking up runs until the end. The Trinidad Triggers scored four runs in the last three innings to finish off the blowout win. The Trinidad Triggers scored seven runs in the second on a passed ball, an RBI single by Matt Hunt, a home run by Jacob Fabry, a solo home run by Florio, and a passed ball.
The Trinidad Triggers relied on Nick Mutz to eat up innings en route to the win. Mutz allowed no earned runs, five hits and one walk while striking out six over eight innings of work.
Shayne Miller couldnt get it done on the mound for the Las Vegas Train Robbers, taking a loss. He allowed eight runs in 1 1/3 innings, walked none and struck out three.
The Trinidad Triggers pounded the Las Vegas Train Robbers pitching, as six hitters combined for 12 hits, 16 RBIs and 14 runs scored.
The Trinidad Triggers outdone by Wells and the Las Vegas Train Robbers 6-2
Randy Wells went 1-4 and hit a home run, sparking the Las Vegas Train Robbers (29-20) to a 6-2 victory in seven innings over the Trinidad Triggers (30-21) on Sunday at Central Park. He homered in the first inning.
Kager Hopkins got the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers thanks to six strikeouts. Hopkins allowed one earned run on eight hits and one walk over seven innings.
Mike Mullen brought the heat against the Las Vegas Train Robbers during his outing. The Las Vegas Train Robbers managed just one hit off of the the Trinidad Triggers pitcher, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out four during his two innings of work.
Nick Rodesky (1-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just three innings, walked four, struck out one, and allowed four runs.
Bernal helps the Roswell Invaders down the Las Vegas Train Robbers 8-7
Roger Bernal drove in three runs, helping the Roswell Invaders (35-15) to an 8-7 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (28-20) on Thursday at Rodriguez Park. He singled in the third and fifth innings and doubled in the ninth inning.
Ed Kohout kept contact to a minimum, striking out six the Las Vegas Train Robbers batters. Kohout allowed two earned runs on six hits and no walks over seven innings.
Will Walsh had a hot bat for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Walsh went 2-5, drove in one and scored two runs. He homered in the fifth inning and singled in the eighth inning.
Eddie Medina (1-2) took the loss for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He allowed six runs in six innings, walked three and struck out two.
Hottas gives the Las Vegas Train Robbers walk-off win over the Roswell Invaders 6-5
A walk-off from John Hotta brought home the winning run for the Las Vegas Train Robbers (28-19) in a 6-5 victory over the Roswell Invaders (34-15) in 10 innings at Rodriguez Park on Wednesday.
Hotta got on base two times in the game for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He scored one run and had one RBI.
Andrew Lopez reached base two times. He scored one run and had one RBI. He homered in the sixth inning.
Greg Fowler pitched seven innings and allowed one earned run, five hits and one walk while striking out four.
Jimmy Jensen got the win, running his season record to 3-0. He allowed one run over one inning. Jensen struck out one, walked one and gave up two hits.
A.J. Martin (3-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just zero innings, walked one, struck out none, and allowed no runs.
Wilson helps the Las Vegas Train Robbers down the White Sands Pupfish 5-4
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (27-19) beat the White Sands Pupfish (21-26) 5-4 on Sunday at Aquarium behind Chris Wilson, who went 1-3 and hit a home run. He homered in the sixth inning.
Jimmy Jensen put together a nice outing. Jensen held the White Sands Pupfish hitless over two innings, allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out none.
Steven Rogers was hot from the plate for the White Sands Pupfish. Rogers went 2-4, drove in one and scored one run. He tripled in the third inning and singled in the fifth inning.
Brian Del Rosso took the loss for the White Sands Pupfish. He lasted just one inning, walked none, struck out one, and allowed one run.
Wilson helps the Las Vegas Train Robbers down the White Sands Pupfish 9-6
Chris Wilson collected three hits, sparking the Las Vegas Train Robbers (26-19) to a 9-6 victory over the White Sands Pupfish (21-25) on Saturday at Aquarium. He homered in the third inning and singled in the fifth and ninth innings.
Cody Collins got on base three times in the game for the White Sands Pupfish. He doubled in the second inning and singled in the sixth inning.
Shayne Miller recorded his first win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers even though he allowed six runs over six innings. Miller struck out five, walked three and gave up eight hits.
Erik Zagone was charged with his third loss of the year. He allowed seven runs in five innings, walked three and struck out three.
The Alpine Cowboys need walk-off single to beat the Las Vegas Train Robbers 5-4
A walk-off single from Brian Smith brought home the winning run for the Alpine Cowboys (24-19) in a 5-4 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (24-19) in 10 innings at Kokernot Field on Thursday.
Smith had a hot bat for the Alpine Cowboys. Smith went 1-2. He singled in the second, eighth, and tenth innings.
Even in defeat, Eddie Medina played well for the Las Vegas Train Robbers.
It was a good day at the plate for the Las Vegas Train Robbers Medina. Medina went 2-3 and scored one run. He singled in the third and fourth innings.
Medina allowed three earned runs, seven hits and four walks while striking out four over seven innings of work.
Derrick Fox led the Alpine Cowboys offensive threat, as he got on base four times in the game. He singled in the first, fifth, and ninth innings.
Scott Hartling got the win, running his season record to 2-2. He struck out three, walked none and surrendered no hits.
Ryan Wood (1-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just zero innings, walked one, struck out none, and allowed one run.
Alexander helps the Las Vegas Train Robbers down the White Sands Pupfish 5-3
A.J. Alexander went 4-4 at the plate as the Las Vegas Train Robbers (25-19) took home a 5-3 victory over the White Sands Pupfish (21-24) at Aquarium on Friday. He doubled in the fourth inning and singled in the second, seventh, and ninth innings.
Brian Chudy was effective even in defeat, mowing down six the Las Vegas Train Robbers batters and allowing two runs.
Ernie Munoz was solid at the plate for the White Sands Pupfish. Munoz went 2-4, drove in one and scored one run. He singled in the fifth inning and tripled in the ninth inning.
Jimmy Jensen improved to 1-0 on the year by picking up the win for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. Jensen struck out none, walked none and gave up one hit.
Justin Mauldin (0-2) took the loss for the White Sands Pupfish. He lasted just one-third of an inning, walked one, struck out none, and allowed three runs.
Alpine Cowboys 5 Las Vegas Train Robbers 4
Alpine Cowboys 5 Las Vegas Train Robbers 4
This game was played on 6/27/2013 at Kokernot Field
Fowler allows no runs to lead the Las Vegas Train Robbers past the Alpine Cowboys 9-4
Greg Fowler kept the Alpine Cowboys (22-19) off the board during his six innings of work and the Las Vegas Train Robbers (24-17) beat the Alpine Cowboys, 9-4.
Fowler struck out five and allowed four walks and one hit.
Ted LeMasters had two extra-base hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He homered in the second inning, doubled in the fourth innings, and singled in the sixth inning.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers Gary Stauff, LeMasters, Adam Kam and A.J. Alexander combined for nine hits and three RBIs.
The Alpine Cowboys top the Las Vegas Train Robbers behind Carranzas 2 hits 8-3
Tuesday was a great day for Joel Carranza, as he hit two home runs to carry the Alpine Cowboys (22-18) to an 8-3 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (23-17) at Kokernot Field.
The Alpine Cowboys relied on Shane Youngdale to eat up innings en route to the win. Youngdale allowed no earned runs, eight hits and two walks while striking out six over eight innings of work.
Atsushi Hebisawa (4-1) was the games losing pitcher. He allowed seven runs in four innings, walked one and struck out three.
Carranza, Logan Lotti and Derrick Fox helped lead the Alpine Cowboys. They combined for five hits and six RBIs.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers offense too much for the Raton Osos in 19-1 rout
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (23-16) continued to pile up the runs on Sunday, scoring three runs in the last three innings, en route to an easy 19-1 win over the Raton Osos (6-32) at Rodriguez Park.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers scored seven runs in the third on a single by Joey Haskell, an error, an RBI single by Will Walsh, a double by Randy Wells, and an RBI single by Adam Kam.
Kam racked up two RBIs on four hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers relied on Edison Alvarez to eat up innings en route to the win. Alvarez pitched seven innings and allowed no earned runs, five hits and one walk while striking out five.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers pounded the Raton Osos pitching, as six hitters combined for 16 hits, 15 RBIs and 15 runs scored.
The Raton Osos outdone by Lopez and the Las Vegas Train Robbers 8-3
Andrew Lopez had two extra base hits, sparking the Las Vegas Train Robbers (21-16) to an 8-3 victory over the Raton Osos (6-30) on Friday at Rodriguez Park. He singled in the fifth inning, doubled in the seventh inning, and homered in the eighth inning.
Stedman Smith racked up three RBIs on three hits for the Raton Osos. He doubled in the first inning, singled in the third inning, and tripled in the fifth inning.
Chuck Fontana got the win, running his season record to 3-1. He struck out two, walked none and surrendered no hits.
Jesse Meier (0-1) was the games losing pitcher. He lasted just one inning, walked one, struck out two, and allowed two runs.
Randy Wells, Lopez and John Hotta helped lead the Las Vegas Train Robbers. They combined for seven hits and five RBIs.
Las Vegas Train Robbers 14 Raton Osos 11
Las Vegas Train Robbers 14 Raton Osos 11
This game was played on 6/22/2013 at Gabrielle
DiMatteo helps the Trinidad Triggers down the Las Vegas Train Robbers 4-3
Sam DiMatteo went 2-3 and hit a home run, sparking the Trinidad Triggers (20-13) to a 4-3 victory in seven innings over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (20-15) on Thursday at Rodriguez Park. He homered in the first inning and singled in the third inning.
Andrew Lopez racked up two RBIs on one hit for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He homered in the sixth inning.
Chris Shaklee got the win, running his season record to 3-0. He allowed three runs over seven innings. He struck out four, walked three and surrendered six hits.
Drew Evans (0-1) took the loss for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He lasted just four innings, walked two, struck out five, and allowed three runs.
Flores helps the White Sands Pupfish down the Las Vegas Train Robbers 8-6
Flores went 2-3 as the White Sands Pupfish (18-18) took home an 8-6 victory over the Las Vegas Train Robbers (20-14) at Rodriguez Park on Wednesday. He doubled in the fifth inning and singled in the sixth inning.
Chris Anklam looked sharp on the mound. Anklam held the Las Vegas Train Robbers hitless over 1 2/3 innings, allowed no earned runs, walked one and struck out five.
Chuck Fontana was effective even in defeat, mowing down seven the White Sands Pupfish batters and allowing two runs.
Andrew Lopez racked up four RBIs on three hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He singled in the third innings and doubled in the first and fourth innings.
Fontana (2-1) was the games losing pitcher.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers make the most of 13 hits in 9-7 victory over the White Sands Pupfish
The Las Vegas Train Robbers (20-13) and the White Sands Pupfish (17-18) both had scoring chances on Tuesday, but it was the Las Vegas Train Robbers that were able to capitalize on them as they pulled out a 9-7 win at Rodriguez Park.
Adam Kam racked up three RBIs on two hits for the Las Vegas Train Robbers. He homered in the fourth inning and singled in the fifth inning.
Cody Collins racked up three RBIs on three hits for the White Sands Pupfish. He doubled in the third inning and singled in the first and fifth innings.
Even though Edison Alvarez allowed six runs over seven innings he still recorded the victory, his fifth of the season. He struck out one, walked two and surrendered 11 hits.
Matt Gibbs (2-4) was the games losing pitcher. He allowed seven runs in five innings, walked three and struck out four.
Las Vegas Train Robbers 8 Trinidad Triggers 3
Las Vegas Train Robbers 8 Trinidad Triggers 3
This game was played on 6/15/2013 at Rodriguez Park
Trinidad Triggers 12 Las Vegas Train Robbers 1
Trinidad Triggers 12 Las Vegas Train Robbers 1
This game was played on 6/15/2013 at Rodriguez Park
Train Robbers win shootout over Triggers
Sam DiMatteo slides safely into into home. (Photo by Emily Olguin)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. — The two-team race for No. 1 in the Pecos League no...
Sam DiMatteo slides safely into into home. (Photo by Emily Olguin)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. — The two-team race for No. 1 in the Pecos League northern division tightened up a bit Thursday as No. 2 Las Vegas (16-13) edged No. 1 Trinidad (18-9) 11-9 in another game that came down to the wire.
“Our offense continued to fight, even though we got down early and continued to score runs,” said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. “Our bullpen pitched very well. Threw strikes. Struck guys out and we ended up on top tonight.”
“I thought both teams gave good effort tonight,” said Trigger manager J.R, Droddy. “We came out on the short end but these are two very good hitting ball clubs, and the pitching on both sides was better than the score indicates.”
Trinidad took an early lead. going up 1-0 in the first when Matt Hunt was hit, advanced on a balk and came in on a Sam DiMatteo double.
The Triggers made it 5-0 in the second on a Jason Venya double; error that put Andrew Azzopardi on first; Hu
Trinidad out-hits Vegas in northern showdown
Manager J.D. Droddy and catcher Andrew Azzopardi argue with the umpire over a call. (Photo by Emily Olguin)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. — The most ...
Manager J.D. Droddy and catcher Andrew Azzopardi argue with the umpire over a call. (Photo by Emily Olguin)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. — The most important series in the league to this point is going on in Trinidad, where the northern division No. 1 Triggers are battling with No. 2 Las Vegas. And thanks to a huge fourth inning vs. Train Robber starter Edison Alvarez — who was pulled after 3.2 innings — Trinidad took the opener 16-12.
“We got another win tonight over Las Vegas,” said Trinidad coach J.D. Droddy. “Put another game between us and them in the standings, which is the main thing we wanted to accomplish.”
Alvarez, one of the top pitchers in the league, struggled from the start, giving up two runs in the first on a Matt Hunt single, Sam DiMatteo double and Mike Goldy single. The Triggers led 4-0 after two on an RBI single by Jacob Fabry and a Vegas error, with the Robbers finally getting on board in the third when Joey Haskell walked and Randy Wells doubled.
Las Vegas cut the lead to one
Kuks amazes with two-hit complete-game shut out
George Ban knocks in the game"s first run; the only one needed in a shutout pitching performance by Justin Kuks. (Photo by Josh Szwaczkowski)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
...
George Ban knocks in the game"s first run; the only one needed in a shutout pitching performance by Justin Kuks. (Photo by Josh Szwaczkowski)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ALAMOGORDO — The big story at the Aquarium in Alamogordo is Pupfish pitcher Justin Kuks.
Kuks threw a two-hitter against Taos, striking out nine and walking four in a 5-0 victory over the normally hot-hitting Blizzard.
“The guy’s lights out,” said White Sands manager Ernie Munoz. “He’s been lights out for us all year. This was by far his best start. He just shut out the best-hitting team we’ve seen so far, so that says a lot about him.”
“All the scouting reports were correct. He can deal,” agreed Taos manager Matt Leahy. “He kept us off balance on every count. Every hitter was complaining about being off balance. About being not comfortable. At the end of the day when it happens to a team that has this caliber offense, you just tip your hit and forget about it.”
And add to that pitching performance the fact Kuks was 2-for-4
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS --Both coaches in Tuesdays doubleheader between Las Vegas and Alpine agree the split victory was an exciting pair of games: well played in all aspects with the Train Robbers taking the opener 8-7 and Alpine winning the nightcap 5-4.
"It was a well-played game by both teams all the way around by both teams," said Vegas manager Casey Dill. "Both teams hit. Both teams played defense. Both teams pitchers threw strikes and got ground ball outs."
"I just want to say Caseys got a great team over there and Ive got nothing but respect for him and his coaching staff," said Cowboy manager Ryan Stevens. "Theyre both very good friends of mine. It was a great day of baseball competing against each other and I really enjoyed it. It was some good baseball. We had our chances in the first game. We didnt capitalize on a couple of errors. Bullpen struggled a little bit. But like I said, it was just a couple of little things. In fact, I didnt think they we poorly. I thought the bullpen and the pitching staff threw all right. It was a good day of baseball. Long day of baseball."
And that "long day of baseball" comes because of an "only in the Pecos League situation" that saw the afternoon game that was supposed to start about 4 p.m. not start until 6:15 p.m.
"Because there was apparently some sort of huge issue in Santa Fe, and our umpires had to leave to go to Santa Fe because they dont have the local guys we have," Dill said. And neither DIll nor Stevens were happy with the replacements.
"The second game we had a very huge, controversial situation with the umpires," Dill said. "Both teams played the game under protest. I dont expect any change to come from it. Nothing really comes from a protest, but they definitely had under-qualified, incompetent umpires out there that obviously made a wrong call and it did affect the outcome of the game. I know that Ryan and I were both very upset with the umpires that we had today."
Stevens agreed.
"The umpires screwed up on both ends for both of us," he said. "I cant even pinpoint it. He screwed up a call on Caseys defense, then he screwed up a call on our defense. I dont even know how to describe it. It was crazy. It was a crazy day of baseball.
The game just seemed way too fast for (the umpires), and that was fairly obvious."
Game 1 didnt have that problem, and started out as a pitching duel between Shane Youngdale and Eddie Medina, neither of whom was around for a decision. The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when two home runs -- a solo shot by Matt Grosso and 3-RBI blast by Adam Kam -- made it 4-0.
Alpine cut the lead in half in the sixth on an Eric Herman home run, and tied the game in the seventh when Herman and Logan Lotti walked, Joel Carranza singled in Herman and Brycen Bell singled in Lotti.
Vegas retook the lead on a Grosso single, put out and Will Walsh RBI single, then solidified their lead in the eighth when Ryan Lauer walked, Andrew Lopez was hit, A.J. Alexander singled then pinch runner Michael Pena scored on the second out. An error scored Lopez and John Hotta singled in the final run.
Alpine tried to come back in the ninth, but just couldnt get enough runs. Lotti walked and Carranza doubled, then a series of errors brought in three runs, but reliever Ben Runyon got the final out before the Cowboys could tie the game.
Game 2 was equally close, but with the big umpire mistakes coming late, in the seven-inning game marred a bit by controversy.
The Train Robbers went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second when Dillon Usiak doubled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a Michael Pena single. Lopez singled in Kam, who had walked earlier.
The Cowboys went up 3-0 in the third on a two-out single by Herman, Lotti walk and Carranza home run.
Las Vegas tied it at 3-3 in the fourth when Kam walked and came home on a hit batter and error, then took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Walsh doubled and came home on a Kam single. Then came the disputed sixth.
Carranza and Mike Dobre both singled to open the top of the inning. With one out, Bell was intentionally walked to load the bases. Kenshoku Takubo was unintentionally walked, tying the game and leaving the bases loaded.
Bob Cook came in to hit and Derrick Martinez to pitch. The scoring shows Cook hit a sacrifice fly to give Alpine the lead, but Dill said thats not exactly what happened. After center fielder Alexander made the catch and the umpire ruled out -- the innings second out -- he dropped the ball but then threw to second, catching Bell -- who hadnt tagged up -- out, with everyone then leaving the field with no one scoring.
But Stevens argued the call, and after discussion, Dill said the umpire changed his mind about which runner was out (Bell at second going to third vs. Takubo at first going to second), allowing Dobre to score, bringing everyone back on the field with Bell at second. Then, Dill said, he was allowed to appeal a runner tag, which he won, but not before the Cowboys had the lead.
And with Kris Barone and Matt Marra combining to close out the sixth for Alpine, and Scott Hartling the seventh, the Cowboys had the victory.
"Hes got a very good offensive team," Stevens praised the Robbers. "Trying to hold them down is like trying to hold down an angry pit bull. Hes got quite the offense over there."
He also had nothing but praise for two of his players.
"Eric Herman and Joel Carranza just went absolutely off today," he said, calling them "unbelievable today. They were actually unbelievable. I dont have enough good things to say"
He said Carranza (2-for-4, two runs, 3 RBI) is a great leader with good at bats and in getting the team motivated, while Herman (2-for-4, one run) was on base constantly
"It was two very good games," Dill said. "Two very good teams playing. And they were well played by both teams."
Alpine now gets a day off before heading home to face Taos, some place Stevens said his team is very happy to be headed.
"We played what? Twenty-nine, 30 games this year? And seven of them have been at home. Do the math," he said.
Vegas heads north to Trinidad for what may be the biggest series this season, a six-game, home-away-home matchup with the Triggers.
"Weve got Edison (Alvarez) going Game 1, Atsushi (Hebisawa) going Game 2," Dill said. "Theyve been our top two starters and its an inter-division matchup. The seeding between first and second can change any way, so yeah. Its going to be an exciting series between both teams. I expect both teams to come out hungry. Obviously, both teams know the importance of the series. So I expect some very good baseball the next six games, actually."
Alpine ends rough losing string with victory over Las Vegas
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — After going 14-of-19 after a disastrous start to the season, Las Vegas is playing solid baseball. Alpine has been on a sho...
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — After going 14-of-19 after a disastrous start to the season, Las Vegas is playing solid baseball. Alpine has been on a short skid, but both teams reversed their win-loss streaks Monday as the Cowboys topped the Train Robbers 14-8.
Alpine’s recent three-game losing string — two to Vegas — was very rough, so the team was ready to change things up.
“Yeah, very (rough). We hit rock bottom,” said manager Ryan Stevens. “I think everybody came to a point, they said, ‘We need to make adjustments. We need to turn it around.”
And they did, starting off with four runs in the second and never trailing.
“It was a well-played game between two good teams and they came out on top today,” said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. “It was one of those games where we didn’t play our best defense. We’re kind of at the back end of our bullpen right now because we’ve been playing so many games on consecutive days. Those guys saw a lot of walks today, a few errors and they t
Train Robbers beat Alpine 9-3
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS — Alpine is still having trouble getting on track offensively as it starts its first northern road trip, falling 9-3 to Las Vegas ...
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS — Alpine is still having trouble getting on track offensively as it starts its first northern road trip, falling 9-3 to Las Vegas for the second loss in a row.
Just exactly what is happening is uncertain as neither coach returned calls for comment, but two three-run Train Robber innings seemed to be the difference, along with a pair of crucial Cowboy errors.
Alpine went up 1-0 in the first when Tyler Rost walked, advanced on a Logan Lotti single and a walk then came home on an error.
Vegas matched that sum in the bottom of the stanza when A.J. Alexander singled, stole second and came home on a Randy Wells single, then made it 2-1 in the second on an Andrew Lopez home run.
The Cowboys tied it in the third on a Lotto walk and Joel Carranza double but that was as close as it would be as the Robbers had their first three-run inning.
Hitting off starter Bryce Weidman, Wells, Adam Kam and Dillon Usiak each hit two-out singles. Ted LeMasters and Andrew Lopez walked and Usiak
Train Robber home runs take them past Alpine
Las Vegas" Ted LeMasters strokes a home run — one of four for the home team — in Saturday night"s 11-5 win. (Photo by Dave Kavanaugh, Las Vegas Optic)
Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer<...
Las Vegas" Ted LeMasters strokes a home run — one of four for the home team — in Saturday night"s 11-5 win. (Photo by Dave Kavanaugh, Las Vegas Optic)
Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — The Train Robbers hit four home runs in an 11-5 win over visiting Alpine Saturday, getting solid pitching from Atsushi Hebisawa, who went eight innings and recorded the win for Las Vegas.
Alpine went up 4-0 in the second, scoring on a Joel Carranza double; singles by Mike Dobre and Brycen Bell, an error, Eric Herman double and Derrick Fox single.
Vegas came back in the bottom of the stanza when Ted LeMasters was hit and Andrew Lopez homered, but the big Robber blow was in the third, when they scored six runs of Cowboy Brad Orosey
Joey Haskell and John Hotta singled, then, with one out, Randy Wells hit a 3-run home run. But Vegas wasn’t done. Adam Kam and Ryan Lauer each singled, then LeMasters hit the inning’s second 3-run home run.
The Train Robbers added another run in the fourth off reliever Kris Barone when Ha
Las Vegas Train Robbers 10 Alpine Cowboys 5
Las Vegas Train Robbers 10 Alpine Cowboys 5
This game was played on 6/8/2013 at Rodriguez Park
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS -- Information on Thursday Taos/Las Vegas game in Las Vegas again was unavailable, with no statistics or play-by-play.
The only information found was a final score, which indicates the Train Robbers beat Taos 16-3.
Taos manager Matt Leahy left the following message.
"Nothing too exciting about tonights game, other than it didn"t rain soon enough," he said. "We tip our hats to LV, they beat us up pretty good, but in the end its only one game. We will be ready for the them tomorrow."
The teams are scheduled to play a double header Friday beginning at 4 p.m. to make up for Wednesdays rain out.
Taos Blizzard 7 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5
Taos Blizzard 7 Las Vegas Train Robbers 5
This game was played on 6/7/2013 at Rodriguez Park
Weather washes out three Pecos League games
Triggers gather in the outfield, ba
Triggers gather in the outfield, barely visible through the dist blowing in from left. (Photo by Robert Bailey)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
Wednesday night was not a good night for Pecos League teams, as weather played havoc with the schedule..
Heavy rainstorms in north central New Mexico washed out both the Taos/Las Vegas game and the Santa Fe/Raton matchup.
This Blizzard/Train Robber game will be made up Friday as a doubleheader, while the Raton game is expected to be made up during a future series between the two teams.
Things were even more interesting in Roswell, where the Triggers and Invaders got through two innings -- Roswell was leading 1-0 on first-inning singles by Chad Kruse and Ryan Normoyle, a sacrifice bunt by Roger Bernal and a sac fly by Vincent Mejia.
Neither team scored in the bottom of the second, then, just as the Invaders took the field, a huge wind/dust storm blew in from left field, obscuring any chance of seeing the ball.
The officials called a brief delay, then Jason Venya walked and pitcher Kellen Quintana hit a ball high into left that literally got lost in the blowing dust, dropping in for a single.
After that, another delay was announced and eventually both managers and the officials, with approval from commissioner Andrew Dunn, agreed to postpone the game until Thursday at 4 p.m., when the teams will pick up where it left off, then, following the conclusion of Game 1, play a seven-inning second game.
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- It was a low scoring affair in Las Vegas Tuesday night, with the pitching dominating early and Taos coming away with a 6-3 victory over the Train Robbers.
Angel Gonzales pitched what Blizzard manager Matt Leahy called "five strong innings," shutting the Robbers down through four while only allowing one unearned run in the fifth when Jimmy Haskell singled, advanced on an error, then, two outs later, came home on an Andrew Lopez single.
Gonzalez might have gone further, but tweaked a muscle in the bottom of the fifth while helping Taos go up 3-1.
The inning started when Brennan May singled, Jimmy Martinez walked and Gonzales singled, scoring May. Kyle Richardson singled to load the bases, then, one out later, Blair Springfield hit a 2 RBI double.
The Blizzard made it 4-1 in the sixth when John Apostolo walked and scored on a May double, then added a final two runs in the seventh when Khyle Dimino singled and came home on a 2-RBI home run by Springfield.
Shayne Miller, "pitched very well," shutting the Train Robbers down in the sixth, but in the seventh he walked Las Vegas starter Derek Martinez, who advanced on a passed ball and came home on a Matt Grosso single. Eric Berkowitz and Adam Dimino, in his first pitching experience, allowed the final Vegas run in the eighth when Will Walsh walked and came home on a Gary Stauff single.
Steve Sanguiliano then "Came out and shut the door for the last two innings," Leahy said.
The five Taos pitchers allowed only six total hits with six strikeouts.
Offensively, Springfield drove in four of the Blizzard six runs, going 2-for-4 with a double and home run. The second baseman also had a "couple of gems" defensively.
The victory puts the Blizzard at 8-13 overall, and 6-1 in games where they batted last. Theyll have to try to win as the visitors Wednesday and Thursday as they again face Las Vegas at Rodriguez Field.
Las Vegas coach Casey Dill did not return calls for comment, and PointStreak statistics and play-by-play were not available for the game. Books provided by the Blizzard helped with the story
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are proud to announce Longmire Night at Rodriguez Park.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are pro
The Las Vegas Train Robbers are proud to announce Longmire Night at Rodriguez Park. Longmire is currently filming in Santa Fe County and throughout the state of New Mexico with the fictional town square of Durant, Wyoming stationed in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Longmire is a crime drama television series that premiered on June 3, 2012, and currently airs 10/9 Central, Monday nights on A&E. The series was created by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin and is based on the "Walt Longmire" series of mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson. Attending the game will be cast and production crews including: Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Taylor - throwing out the first pitch, and Cassidy Freeman.
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- It was a low scoring affair in Las Vegas Tuesday night, with the pitching dominating early and Taos coming away with a 6-3 victory over the Train Robbers.
Angel Gonzales pitched what Blizzard manager Matt Leahy called "five strong innings," shutting the Robbers down through four while only allowing one unearned run in the fifth when Jimmy Haskell singled, advanced on an error, then, two outs later, came home on an Andrew Lopez single.
Gonzalez might have gone further, but tweaked a muscle in the bottom of the fifth while helping Taos go up 3-1.
The inning started when Brennan May singled, Jimmy Martinez walked and Gonzales singled, scoring May. Kyle Richardson singled to load the bases, then, one out later, Blair Springfield hit a 2 RBI double.
The Blizzard made it 4-1 in the sixth when John Apostolo walked and scored on a May double, then added a final two runs in the seventh when Khyle Dimino singled and came home on a 2-RBI home run by Springfield.
Shayne Miller, "pitched very well," shutting the Train Robbers down in the sixth, but in the seventh he walked Las Vegas starter Derek Martinez, who advanced on a passed ball and came home on a Matt Grosso single. Eric Berkowitz and Adam Dimino, in his first pitching experience, allowed the final Vegas run in the eighth when Will Walsh walked and came home on a Gary Stauff single.
Steve Sanguiliano then "Came out and shut the door for the last two innings," Leahy said.
The five Taos pitchers allowed only six total hits with six strikeouts.
Offensively, Springfield drove in four of the Blizzard six runs, going 2-for-4 with a double and home run. The second baseman also had a "couple of gems" defensively.
The victory puts the Blizzard at 8-13 overall, and 6-1 in games where they batted last. Theyll have to try to win as the visitors Wednesday and Thursday as they again face Las Vegas at Rodriguez Field.
Las Vegas coach Casey Dill did not return calls for comment, and PointStreak statistics and play-by-play were not available for the game. Books provided by the Blizzard helped with the story
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS -- Two pitchers with solid early-season records squared off in Las Vegas Monday, and after all was said and done, it was Train Robber Atsushi Hebisawa who helped his team to an 8-5 victory over Austin Carden and Santa Fe.
While the home team scattered its runs across four innings, the Fuego had one big inning and a late solo run.
Singles by Matt Grosso, Randy Wells and Adam Kam and a double by Jon Hotta put the Robbers up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. A single by Wells and back-to-back doubles by TedLeMasters and A.J. Alexander made it 5-0 Robbers in the third, but a big Santa Fe inning in the fifth closed the gap.
With the first two batters out, the Fuego came alive, starting with singles by Bryson Sims and Charlie Calamia; an error by the Train Robber third baseman; a double by Jimmy Maxwell and another Vegas error.
But after that tough inning, both Hebisawa and the defense mostly settled down, allowing only one final Santa Fe run, in the ninth on another error. The Robbers added another two runs in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Wells and Will Walsh and a final run in the eighth when Hotta walked, stole second and came home on a Hebisawa single.
Asked to comment, Santa Fe coach Bill Moore was succinct.
"We have some issues we need to clean up. No excuses. The Train Robbers scored eight. We scored five. Bottom line."
He was mostly happy with Carden, blaming a lack of offense for the loss.
"He threw pretty well. Hes been better, but he threw pretty well. If we gave him a little bit more run support, maybe we could have kept him out there longer."
Gil Tussey came in in relief of Carden in the fifth.
Besides the game loss, the Fuego also suffered an injury to catcher Kellen Lee, who was hit on the wrist when a Vegas batter over-swung.
"Hes got a pretty good knot on there," Moore said. "I think Kellan, hes a tough guy. Hes a real tough guy. He went out there and finished the inning and I know he was hurting. Im going to give him a day off tomorrow regardless of what he tells me."
Santa Fe heads north to Raton to face the much-improved Osos, and Moore isnt too concerned.
"I expect well bounce back," he said. "I really expect well bounce back. I dont think this loss will dictate our season for us. I think its just a learning experience for us and something we can clean up and become a better baseball team because of it."
Las Vegas plays at home, but Taos will be the home team for games Tuesday and Wednesday at Rodriguez Park.
Phil Grondin contributed to this story
Las Vegas coach Casey Dill did not return calls for comment, and PointStreak statistics and play-by-play were not available for the game. Books provided by the Fuego helped with the story
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS -- After a close loss to the Fuego in Santa Fe Saturday, Las Vegas gave its home fans a look at Edison Alvarez, who Train Robbers manager Casey Dill called "one of the best pitchers in the league."
So despite a good performance by Santa Fe pitcher Jon Sintes, Las Vegas made it 2-0 at home with a 5-3 victory.
"It was a well-played baseball game by both teams, much like last night," Dill said. "Both teams played solid baseball all the way around. The pitching was good tonight. The defense was solid by both teams and we were lucky enough to come out on top today."
"We played pretty good baseball," agreed Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "We just came up a little bit short. Ive got nothing negative to say about the club."
The Robbers drew first blood in the bottom of the second when Adam Kam and Ricky Brown each walked, Ted LeMasters singled to load the bases and Gary Stauff hit into an RBI out. Alvarez then helped his own cause with an RBI single.
The Fuego plated their first run in the third when Kyle Zimmerman, Jimmy Maxwell and Josh Barnett all singled, scoring Zimmerman.
Vegas came back with one in the bottom of the stanza when Randy Wells tripled and came home on a put out, then made it 5-1 in the fourth on two errors and singles by Haskell and Wells. But those were the last runs the Fuego gave up -- Sintes went seven complete and Charlie McCready one, holding the Robbers to only twwo more hits -- while Santa Fe chipped away at the lead.
The Fuego made it 5-2 in the sixth on an Eric Scott triple and putout; and 5-3 in the seventh when Charlie Calamia reached on a fielders choice and scored on a balk and error.
But he was the last runner to cross the plate, and both managers agreed that pitching was the story of the day.
"(Sintes) threw well," Moore said. "He threw eight complete innings and gave up four runs. Thats a very good outing. The other guy threw very well, Edison Alvarez, and they kind of battled each other a little bit and thats how baseball goes sometimes."
"(Alvarez) commands the zone," Dill said. "He throws strikes. He doesnt walk a lot of guys. Hes a legitimate affiliated prospect. His mound presence is huge. He doesnt get fazed by anything that goes on behind him. We did have a couple of errors behind him today. The score would have been a little bit different today if we catch those balls that got dropped. But hes just on to the next hitter. Pounds the strike zone with multiple pitches, and he has the stuff that if he can throw them for strikes and locate and we can play a little bit of defense behind him, were going to win when he pitches.
Both managers said they saw room for improvement on defense, and both coaches had praise for their hitters.
"Our hitters take good approaches," Dill said. "They take pitches they cant hit and they hit balls hard that are put in the strike zone. The wind held up a lot of balls today that maybe go out on most days, but our hitters are professional hitters from top to bottom."
"(Our hitting) was a little light," Moore said. "We didnt do what we wanted to do and I have to give Mr. Alvarez credit for that. He mixed it up. We never saw the same pitch twice in the same at bat. Hes a tough guy."
Two Robbers
had multiple hits. Wells was 3-for-4 with one run and RBI while Ricky Brown was 2-for-3 with a run. Maxwell went 3-for-4 against Alvarez and reliever Chuck Fontana, who earned the save, while CAlamia was 2-for-4, one run; Kellen Lee 2-for-4; and Zimmerman 2-for-5, one run and RBI.
The teams meet again Monday in Las Vegas, and with Austin Carden on the mound for the Fuego and Atsushi Hebisawa for Vegas, both managers are thinking positive.
"If we can win tomorrow we win the series, and if we keep winning series, well be a playoff team," Moore said
"Whenever the Trains Robbers and Fuego get together, I expect a good ball game, and I expect nothing less for tomorrow night," Dill said.
Phil Grondin contributed to this story
Las Vegas Train Robbers Outfielder Chris Wilson sent to Normal Cornbelters
Las Vegas Train Robbers Outfielder
Las Vegas Train Robbers Outfielder Chris Wilson has been sent to the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League. Wilson is the first of several hitters set to be promoted to the higher leagues he was a key leader in the Train Robbers early season success. "Chris Wilson will continue right where he left off in the Frontier League." says manager Train Robbers Manager Casey Dill
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
SANTA FE --Saturdays game between Santa Fe and Las Vegas in Fort Marcy Park featured 29 runs, 35 hits -- including nine home runs -- and 13 pitchers. It was, said Santa Fe coach Bill Moore, "a great baseball game. I like to joke about it and call it a typical Fort Marcy pitchers duel."
And with all those hits, home runs and pitchers, the game came down to oe run in the bottom of the eighth that gave the Fuego a 15-14 victory over the Train Robbers.
The game went back and forth all night.
Las Vegas went up 1-0 after one and held that lead after two, when both teams picked up a trio of runs, making it 4-3.
The FUego retook the lead in the bottom of the third with four runs; SAnta Fe matched that in the top of the fifth then Santa Fe came back with five in the bottom of the stanza, keeping them on top 12-8.
Special mention should go to pitcher Kelby Langston (Santa Fe) and Eddie Medina (Las Vegas) as the fifth was one of only two innings that saw no runs scored on either side. (The other was the seventh, which saw Medina and Chuck Fontana combine for Las Vegas, while Jerome Romero kept the Robbers off the board.)
The seventh inning again tied things up, with Las Vegas picking up six runs on six hit -- home runs by Chris Wilson and Will Walsh helped the cause -- and Santa Fe coming back in the bottom of the inning with two more to tie the game at 14-all.
The seventh inning was scoreless and Nick Huff kept it that way for Santa Fe in the top of the eighth. But the Fuego got the only run the really needed in the bottom of the stanza, when Josh Barnett advanced on a dropped third strike. Charlie Calamia walked, then, after a double steal, Huff walked and Michael Kershner came in for Las Vegas, walking Bryson Sims to bring in the winning run in a somewhat anticlimactic manner.
Kershner got Devonte Odums to strike out, but Jared Bowser closed the door on the Train Robbers with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth.
"Our pitching came out of the bullpen and I thought we were pretty dang good," Moore said. "Our starter just kind of had a tough night, but the guys came in and picked him up and gave us a chance to come back and do business."
Offensively, the big hits came from both teams.
Randy Wells hit a two-run shot for Las Vegas in the second while Larry Rodriguez got a solo homer for the Fuego in the bottom of the inning, and Kellen Lee got a 2 RBI shot in the same stanza.
Jimmy Maxwell hit a three-run shot for Santa Fe in the third, and Wells got his second of the night in the fourth, bringing home three Robbers.
Sims got his second ever homer in the bottom of the fourth --"This one he hit with a little more authority. I think he hit it out against the wind, so maybe hes in the weight room or something between starts,"Moore laughed -- and Larry Rodriguez got his second of the night.
The two Train Robber homers in the sixth were the final balls that left the park Saturday, but they certainly werent the last hits.
Las Vegas had 16 hits and Santa Fe 19, with doubles by Odums, Rodriguez and pinch hitter Eric Scott.
"Little kudos to Eric Scott," Moore said. "Hes been scuffling with the bat and this is three consecutive games that hes had a pinch hit base hit."
After going through seven pitchers, the Fuego also ran out of pinch hitters and had to let a Huff in the bottom of the eighth.
"We got lucky. We had first and second with two outs and they walked the guy. Wow! Thank you," Moore said.
One pinch hitter who didnt get a hit was Anthony Welsh, who Moore said was robbed by weather.
"The hardest ball hes hit all year and the wind caught it and held it up and he was out."
And, with only one errir on each side, the defense was solid as well.
"Fuego played very good defense another night in a row," Moore said. "I think we had one double play that was critical in the game. Our second baseman, Kyle Zimmerman, made two exceptional plays in the middle of rallies that kind of took them out of the ball game a little bit."
And Moore had nothing but kind words for the opposition.
"Theyre a good baseball team. Ive said it before, Casey Dill is just a terrific manager. He puts a good product out on the field and typically speaking, youve got to beat them. Theyre not going to beat themselves. They gave us a couple of runs late in the game which really helped us out, but thats a little uncharacteristic of them, I think."
Barring another smoke postponement -- the Tres Lagunas fire continues to burn between Santa Fe and Las Vegas, with zero containment as of early Sunday morning -- the teams will meet Sunday on Rodriguez Field in Vegas at 4 p.m. Moore expects another close match.
"I expect were going to have to play well to get a W up there," he said. "Thats a good ball club. And were going to have to beat them instead of waiting for them to beat themselves."
Phil Grondin contributed to this story
Tres Lagunas fire postpones Santa Fe/Las Vegas Game
Smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire dr
Smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire drifts over the lights at Rodriguez Field Friday, forcing the postponement of the game between Las Vegas and Santa Fe.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. -- A wildfire in San Miguel County -- of which Las Vegas, N.M. is the county seat -- prompted a somewhat unusual postponement Friday.
The Pecos League baseball game between the Train Robbers and Fuego at Rodriguez Park in Las Vegas was postponed indefinitely, with a makeup date to be decided later.
League commissioner Andrew Dunn said heavy smoke from the Tres Lagunas fire was the main reason for the change, but the fire itself has prompted numerous evacuations near the villages of Pecos and Tres Lagunas, about 25 miles east of Santa Fe and 30 miles west of Las Vegas.
The fire, which was started Thursday by a downed power line, doubled in size Friday and was totally uncontained. That prompted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez to declare a state of emergency in San Miguel County to free up state funds to fight the fire.
The teams are scheduled to play at Fort Marcy Park Saturday with a 6 p.m. start, and there has been no word on what will happen with Sundays game, again set for Rodriguez Park.
For More Information on the fire See ABQJournal.com coverage.
Train Robbers top Blizzard
The Blizzard"s Gary Stauff slides b
The Blizzard"s Gary Stauff slides back to first base as Train Robbers infielder A.J. Alexander attempts to tag him out. Alexander starred for Las Vegas" own New Mexico Highlands University and was an assistant baseball coach at West Las Vegas this past spring. (Photos by Dave Kavanaugh, Las Vegas Optic)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS -- The Train Robbers got their second win in as many home games Thursday with an 8-5 victory over Taos.
Because of a lack of internet at Rodriguez Park, detailed information, including stats and play-by-play, is not available for the game. However, bith managers spoke about the matchup.
"It was a good baseball game," said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. "It was another good dame between two good teams. Our team hit the ball a little better than they did. We hit the ball with runners in scoring position. We played solid defense. I dont think we had an error all game. Our starter, Greg Fowler, had a great outing. It was great to have one of our starters, other than Edison (Alvarez) or Atsushi (Hebisawa), come out and have a good outing. Gregs only going to continue to get better. He had some early-season kind of issues to this point, but hes only going to continue to get better. Tonight was a very positive outing for him. He pitched well against a very good hitting team. And we hit the ball in clutch situations. We stole some runs from them. We put the ball in the gap with runners in scoring position and we won a good baseball game."
Because of the condition of the field in Las Vegas -- two players were injured Tuesday on the rough grass -- Taos manager Matt Leahy opted to play his practice squad players, and saw some strong efforts.
"Javier Perez pitched very, very well," Leahy said, allowing only two earned runs. "So at the end of the day, our starter got into the sixth inning again, for two days in a row. You cant complain about that."
Michael Castelano picked up several stolen bases and Zach Dandrea had a pinch-hit 2-RBI single.
As for the field conditions, "Its not that bad, but its not that good," Leahy said. "But, it is what it is. Were here. Were trying to do our best every day. Ar the end of the day, both starting pitchers pitched pretty well today."
Dill praised Train Robber shortstop Joey Haskell, calling him the teams MVP at this point in the season.
"He continues to do great things every night with the bat," the manager said. "With the glove. Tonight he came up on his own, had a bunt single, which is another element to his game. He can hit. He can field. He has a great arm. Joey Haskells been doing great things for us."
The Blizzard now head north to Trinidad, where theyll play a four-game series, with three games in Colorado and one in Taos, while Vegas faces Santa Fe for three, two at home and one in the CIty Different.
Solid effort by Taos, Las Vegas ends with close Blizzard victory
Taos runner Khyle Dimino is thrown
Taos runner Khyle Dimino is thrown out attempting to steal second. Tag made by second baseman Randy Wells. (Photo by John T. Denne)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TAOS -- Taos came back home Wednesday to the friendly confines of the Tundra, and despite an unusually strong wind blowing in from left field, the Blizzard got back on the plus side of the ledger with a 10-7 victory over the Train Robbers.
"It was a very good baseball game today," said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. "Both teams played good all the way around. Good pitching. Good defense."
"We beat up Las Vegas pretty good today," said Taos manager Matt Leahy, with the rest of his abbreviated comments simply about the pitching. "Angel Gonzales threw very well. Shayne Miller threw excellent. Mike Russo, Eric Berkowitz and Sean Gregory came in and got the save. Very, very strong. The best pitching performance of the year. And thats about it. Pitching, pitching, pitching."
Well, there was a little hitting, but with play by play and accurate stats again unavailable, a detailed story is not possible.
The game was cl;ose early, with the Train Robbers going up 1-0 in the first; Taos taking a 2-1 lead in the second; then Vegas tying it at 2-2 in the third. The Blizzard another run in the fourth and three in the fifth to go up 6-2, but the big Robber inning was the sixth, when they sent Gonzales to the showers with five runs.
But while Michael Kershner shut the Blizzard down in the bottom of the stanza, Anthony Nalepa and Reggie Hochstedler had a tough time shutting them down in the seventh, giving up four runs on four his and two walks.
The relievers for both sides kept the rest of the game scoreless, with Taos holding on for the win.
"They had one kind of big inning there at the end," Dill said. "I wont say that our bullpen completely let us down, but we took a one-run lead into the seventh inning and (our) pitcher came in and he didnt do a terrible job. Gave up a walk and a couple of hits. Couple of chips over the infielders heads. And it led to some runs. It was a well-played game by both teams."
And while several Train Robber runs came in on home runs -- Andrew Lopez and Ryan Lopez sent balls out of the park -- Dill said the 30 mile-per-hour winds coming in from left field were a factor.
"(They) affected our style of baseball a lot, because we tend to hit the ball out of the ball park and put the ball in the gap and the wind really affected us today," he said, notonmg three or four shots were caught right on the warning track "that on any other day would have been gone."
"That cost us a few runs. Not that Im going to blame the wind on a loss. It was a well-played game by both teams, and at the end of the day, they had an inning that went a little bit better than one of ours and it gave them the win."
The win agains moves Las Vegas to even in the win-loss columns, and Dill is looking to take a third victory over the Blizzard at home Thursday.
"If we could win three out of four games every series, then were going to be in great shape," he said. "So were definitely going out there looking for the series win tomorrow. Get us back on the winning track. Were playing great baseball right now. If we can continue to play baseball the way we have been the last 10 games, then were going to continue to win a lot of games. So yeah, looking forward to getting back back at home in front of the home crowd and getting back on the winning track."
That game is set for 7 p.m. at Rodriguez Field.
Train Robbers celebrate home opener with victory over Taos
Train Robber catcher Ryan Lauer tag
Train Robber catcher Ryan Lauer tags out a Taos runner at home. Las Vegas won its home opener 17-6 to climb over the .500 mark at 7-6. (Photo by Dave Kavanaugh, Las Vegas Optic)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS -- After a delay in starting their home season because of poor field conditions, the Las Vegas Train Robbers finally celebrated their home opener Tuesday with an 18-6 victory over Taos.
While the win -- which moved the Train Robbers onto the plus side of the ledger -- was nice, manager Casey Dill was more happy to see the strong support from the city.
"It was great to finally play at home. We had some great fans out there. They were really into it and the field played a lot better than I thought it would play and, of course, its always nice to get a win."
The crowd included more than 200 fans, including some from the top echelons of city government.
"It was a great opening night," Dill said. "We had the mayor and the entire city council here. The mayor has actually come to one of our games in every place weve played this year, so its good to see support at the highest levels of the community."
The game itself was pretty much a blowout by the home squad, but it didnt start out that way. Atsushi Hebisawa, who went six, and Kenny McDowell, 4.2, kept the game scoreless through three. Vegas finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double by John Hotta, then the Blizzard tallied three in the top of the fifth.
James Martinez singled, Zach DAndrea and Jordan Chiero doubled and Louis Gonzales singled. But the bottom of the fifth saw the Robbers break things wide open.
They scored four runs on four hits -- including a triple by Joey Haskell -- and sent McDowall to the showers.
"Kenny McDowall did very well," said Taos manager Matt Leahy. "There were a few pitches he left up and they capitalized on that."
And, as has been the case this season, the Blizzard bullpen pretty much imploded.
After Taos added another run in the top of the sixth on an Adam Dimino double and Elliot VanCoaver single, Las Vegas came back with five more in the bottom of the stanza; five more in the seventh -- a Matt Grosso triple and doubles by Chris Wilson and Adam Kam were big factors --and three more in the eighth.
The Blizzard got their final runs in the seventh -- on a CHiero single, error and RBI single by Gonzales -- and ninth -- when Brennan May doubled in Bobby McLaughlin.
The normally hot Blizzrd bats cooled off a bit -- not that 17 hits could be construed as cool -- but with only four extra-base hits and 10 runners left on base, they didnt convert as well as they have.
The field conditions, Leahy said, contributed a bit to their problems.
"Its playable, but our first baseman (Chiero_ dislocated his thumb on a ground ball and our center fielder (May) sprained his knee."
Dill agreed the surface still isnt perfect, but is just happy to be home.
"It still has a ways to go, but the improvements that have been made are significant, especially given the short amount of time that weve had," he said. "And it will only continue to get better. The grass will continue to grow and theyll continue to work on it every day for us, so theyre (the city) doing great things for us."
The teams will be back at it Wednesday, this time at noon in Taos, and Leahy said theyll be looking for a win.
"Tomorrow well come back, full force, ready to go," he said. "At the end of the day its baseball. We all love playing it. Its just one of those things where it hasnt gone our way the past couple of days, but were getting to the turn and just have to make the turn in a positive way and once we start coming together, it will be a lot better than it is now. I"m not happy with the play, but, at the end of the day, its another day."
It was football Monday in Taos as Train Robbers pound Blizzard 24-7
Taos manager Matt Leahy takes a tur
Taos manager Matt Leahy takes a turn on the mound for the Blizzard. (Photo by John T. Denne)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TAOS -- Balls were flying out of the Tundra in Taos every which way Monday, but not off the bats of the Blizzard. Las Vegas played its first game in the ski town, pounding out 28 hits en route to a 24-7 victory. (Neither play-by-play nor accurate stats were available, so statistics may be incorrect.)
"We can hit. Theres no doubt about that," said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. "We had a great game. Aside from the hitting, Edison (Alvarez) threw well. I dont hink we made an error on defense. It was a good team win all the way around."
Alvarez went the distance, allowing only seven runs on 10 hits total, and three runs and four hit through eight complete.
"He threw a great game," Dill said. "He went out there and he did what he does every game. He throws strikes. He gets ground balls. He gets guys out. Hell give us a chance to win every game, and if we score 24 runs, we shouldnt have a problem doing that."
"Edison can pitch," agreed Taos manager Matt Leahy. "Hes a damn good pitcher. All in all, he had us today. But were ready to face him whenever he comes back, because we want another chance at him, too."
The demolition started early, with the Train Robbers putting up eight runs in the first inning and never looking back.
"We got unlucky," Leahy said. "They hit us hard in the first inning and at the end of the day we just tip our hat. They came out swinging and they beat us."
Vegas added another four runs in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth, leading 15-0 before the Blizzard finally got on the board, putting up three in the bottom of the fourth.
Blair Springfield opened the stanza with a double and came home on a Cody Coffman single. Two outs later, John Apostolo doubled, Leahy -- who started at catcher, moved to second and even pitched -- hit a 2-RBI single to give Taos three runs, but that was all the scoring the Blizzard would see until the bottom of the ninth. Las Vegas, meanwhile, added three in the fifth, one in the sixth, two in the eighth and three in the ninth.
The only inning the Robbers didnt score was the seventh, when reliever Drew Evans allowed only two hits.
"We had some good relievers," Leahy said. "Shane Miller and Drew Evans shut the door. One of them got unlucky with a pop fly that landed over the fence. Thats going to happen when youre at 7,000 feet."
There were four shots out of the park by Vegas: Joey Haskell, Randy Wells, Ted LeMasters and Gary Stauff each had bases-clearing shots.
Taos took advantage of Alvarez complete game to tee off him just a bit in the ninth, scoring a final four runs on an Alex Loftin double; Christopher Ciatti single; two walks; a passed ball; singles by Jordan Chiero and Chris Culver; and a fielders choice before Alvarez struck out the flinal Blizzard batter.
"Were good. Thats all I can say," Dill said when asked what accounted for all the hitting. "I dont know how to explain it. We were hitting line drives all over the ball park."
Dill didnt make one substitution, making for big stats for his hitters.
Haskell was 6-for-7 with six runs and 3 RBI; Wells 5-for- 6 with four runs and 5 RBI; Chris Wilson 4-for-7 with three runs; Matt Grosso, LeMasters and Gary Stauff each 3-for-6 -- Grosso two runs and RBI; LeMasters two runs and 4 RBI; Stauff two runs and 5 RBI; and Andrew Lopez 2-for-5 with three runs and 2 RBI.
Leahy gave 23 players a chance to see action, with pinch hitter CUlver going 2-for-2 with 1 RBI.
"Thats what we try to do," Leahy said of the liberal substitutions. "Its for player development, and its tough to develop when youre losing by that much, but guys were getting tired when we got down to the late innings, so we chalk it up, we tip our hat and at the end of the day we get ready for tomorrow. Well see them again for the next couple of days and our pitchings set up so were ready to rock and roll."
Tuesday, Taos head to Vegas for the Train Robbers home opener. That game was delayed because of problems with Rodriguez Field, but the players were headed to a welcome dinner Monday night, then, Dill said, theyll play Tuesday.
"Theyve been doing work every day," Dill said. "They had an expert come in and tell them exactly what they needed to do to get the field ready for opening day and theyve been doing those things. Whether weve had enough time to make that happen, I dont know. Well find out tomorrow."
But whatever happens, hes looking forward to playing at home because of the strong community support theyve been receiving.
"The support from the community has been there from Day 1," Dill said. "I came from a place last year where there wasnt support from the community. The leaders in the community, like the mayor, the city manager, the Chamber of Commerce, all these people, (theyre) doing everything they can to keep us here and make us feel comfortable. It makes you feel like youre a little bit more home. LIke they want you to have success."
Opening pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Osos get back on plus side with victory over Train Robbers
Its another broken bat as Ryan Barb
Its another broken bat as Ryan Barban drops the ball into the hole in left center field. (Photo by Marty Mayfield)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
RATON -- The Train Robbers five-game win streak came to an end Sunday on Gabrielle Field, as the Osos out-lasted Las Vegas in a four-hour hit-fest, winning 20-18.
"It just seems like now things are actually starting to click," said Raton manager Ray Hancock. "The boys are really coming together as a team, and the addition of four new players has really helped shore up some loose spots. Weve been keeping our errors down, which is big for us. Weve always hit the ball pretty well, but for some reason it seems like everybody catches everything we hit."
Not Sunday. Sunday, almost everything the Osos hit found a hole, as they tallied their 20 runs on 22 hits, six errors and only two walks by Robber pitchers. The four Raton pitchers -- including Shane Flynn, just in from Taos, who started -- also gave up numerous hits but also managed to survive 12 walks.
Las Vegas started out looking like they were going to continue the domination of the past three days. They went up 1-0 in the first and 5-0 after two. But Raton came back big in the third, sending 11 runners to the plate to score six runs.
The inning started when Ryan Barban doubled, Willie Frederick was hit and an error loaded the bases with Matt Lynch on first.
Zach Kreegar hit a 2 RBI single and Vince Smarnelli, another fomer Blizzard, got the second out on a sacrifice but made it 3-0. Brett Smith then singled, SteveTaft doubled and Flynn walked, with Smith coming in on a wild pitch. Barban singled for the last run of the inning, putting the Osos up 6-5.
After that, the game went back and forth, with both teams scoring in almost every inning. The Train robbers put four on the board in the fourth on two singles, a walk and a Ricky Brown home run, but Raton matched that, scoring on four singles and an error.
The big Las Vegas inning was the fifth.
John Hotta was hit by reliever Louie Saenz. Matt Grosso singled, Chris Wilson and Adam Kam doubled, Joey Haskell and Ricky Brown doubled then Ted LeMasters hit a three-run home run to put Vegas on top 16-10.
Smarnelli homered in the sixth for Raton, then the Osos re-took the lead in the seventh with a seven-run inning of their own, scoring on six hits -- Steve Taft and Barban doubled -- a walk, hit batter and an error.
Las Vegas tied the game in the eighth when Wells reached on an error, Kam walked and Haskell doubled them in. But Raton wasnt done, matching that output in the bottom of the stanza with a home run by Kreegar and error that scored Brandon Cruz. Richard Suniga then got the win despite two walks and a balk when he struck out Grosso for the final out.
"(Pecos League commissioner) Andrew (Dunn) sent up couple of new players, which really helped us a lot," Hancock said. Flynn pitched the first three or four innings and held them. He gave up nine but our bats came through today. Of course, they were hitting, too. We had a couple of big home runs which really helped us. Andrew Ziegler came on in the seventh and put up a couple of zeros for them and drove in a couple. So things were good."
Things are also good in the stands at Gabrielle Field. Hancock estimated Sundays crowed at 400 to 500, most of whom stuck around until the very end of the marathon.
"They all stuck around, and thats one good thing about our fans," the manager said. "Even when were doing bad, they stick around. They really stay to the very last. I cant say enough good things about our fans."
If those fans want to see the Osos Memorial Day, theyll have to head south, since Raton takes on Roswell at Joe Bauman FIeld.
ASked about his plans for the hot Invaders, Hancock laughed.
"Well, first Im going to go to the (UFO) museum, to tell you the truth."
He said hes been so busy hes just been taking things day by day, but may possibly use one of the newcomers on the mound Monday.
"Hopefully on my long trip down there tomorrow, Ill have a chance to think about things," he said.
The Train Robbers head to Taos, where the high-altitude fans will get their second chance to see the Blizzard at the Tundra.
Train Robbers now 5-5 with DH sweep of Raton
The scoreboard tells it all. The first inning seven-run rally by the Train Robbers creates a hard to makeup deficit. (Photo by Marty Mayfield)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
...
The scoreboard tells it all. The first inning seven-run rally by the Train Robbers creates a hard to makeup deficit. (Photo by Marty Mayfield)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
RATON — Rain flooded Gabrielle Park in Raton Friday, forcing the first rain out of the 2013 Pecos League season. But the Osos and Train Robbers got back at it early Saturday morning, playing a double header that saw Las Vegas sweep both, winning the morning game 10-7 and the nightcap 19-10 to even their record at 5-5.
“We’ve been playing good baseball since the beginning,” said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. “The 0-5 against Roswell (to open the season) has nothing to reflect how we compare to them. We didn’t have a place to properly train and practice, and I couldn’t properly assess our players.”
In Saturday’s opener, a big first inning for the Train Robbers made all the difference.
Oso starter Brian Hicks faced 11 batters in the top of the first, giving up seven runs on six hits, inc
Las Vegas Train Robbers 19 Raton Osos 10
Las Vegas Train Robbers 19 Raton Osos 10
This game was played on 5/25/2013 at Gabrielle
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
RATON -- The Train Robbers continued to prove theyre better than their 0-5 start, getting their third win in a row Thursday, a 10-5 victory over Raton.
"Another good pitching outing by our starter, Derek Martinez," said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. "I think we ended up with 16 or 17 hits on the night with no errors, so yeah, another great baseball game for us tonight."
Oso manager Ray Hancock, on the other hand, sounded exceedingly upset.
"Struggled again tonight," he said. "Pitchers are struggling. We have very poor defense behind them. Our defense is eating our pitchers up alive. We had five errors. Very costly errors. We couldnt turn a double play. We were dropping what shouldnt be dropped. It was a terrible night."
Five Raton errors were a big part of the difference, as the Robbers only out-hit the Osos 14-9. They started early, going up 1-0 in the first when Matt Grosso walked, advanced on a Randy Wells single and came home on a fielders choice.
Raton tied the game in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Matt Lynch, but that was as close as theyd ever get. Vegas put up three runs in the fourth on singles by Andrew Lopez and Joey Haskell; an error; a fielders choice that scored Lopez; a second error that scored Haskell; and a Ricky Brown single that scored Martinez.
Raton put another run on in the bottom of the stanza on another long ball, this by Michael Lange, but the Train Robbers came back even bigger in the fifth.
With Oso starter Will Casey still on the mound, Gary Stauff and Haskell singled, then pinch runner Ryan Lauer scored on an error and Evan Mausell single. Martinez reached on an error, Gross singled to score Mausell and after a fielders choice, Wells singled in Martinez, making it 8-2.
Cameron Powers, who got the final out in the fifth, shut Vegas down in the sixth but allowed two final runs in the seventh on a Grosso single, Brown double and 2 RBI single by Wells.
Raton finally got put two non-homer runs on the board in the bottom of the stanza, scoring off reliever Eddie Medina, who gave up a single to Nicholas Hinojo, walked Zach Kreegar then, with two out, gave up a 2 RBI double to Ryan Barban, then added a final tally in the ninth when Brian Gregory walked and Adam Ziegler and Barban singled him in.
While Vegas got across-the-board hitting, two batters stood out.
"Randy Wells (#-for-4) and Joey Haskell (4-for-5) led the way," Dill said. "I think they had seven hits between the both of them, and Randy also had three RBIs. Joey got on base, scored runs. Were a very offensive team. If our pitching can eat up some innings and our defense can not have many errors, our offense is going to be there every night."
And the pitching did do what was needed THursday.
"Tonight was a night where we needed to get through five innings with our starter," Dill said. "We felt comfortable with our lead after the fifth inning and it was an opportunity to give our bullpen some work. They had the entire night off last night. We have a lot of new guys in our bullpen we havent seen throw live yet, so it was an opportunity to get those guys into the game and see what they can do. Saw some good things. Saw some things we need to work on but overall it was a great team victory tonight."
It was exactly the opposite for Raton.
"Im extremely unhappy," Hancock said. "Im going to have to start making some cuts. I have no choice. I dont know if because we won a couple of games they think they dont have to work as hard. Im not sure what the problem is. But if we cant hold up the defense behind our pitchers, we keep digging bigger and bigger holes."
Barban (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and Lynch (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 run) were the high points for Raton.
THe teams will meet again Friday at Gabrielle Park, and after the slow start to the season, Dill said things are looking up.
"Our momentum is still building. I dont even feel like weve reached our peak yet. Were just starting to get things going. We havent even hit our full stride yet so I expect to continue to get better.
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. -- A stellar pitching performance by Atsushi Nebisawa gave Las Vegas its second victory of the season Wednesday, as Nebisawa went nine full in a 7-0 shutout against Trinidad.
"We finally played a complete game," said Train Robber manager Casey Dil. "We pitched. We played defense. Atsushi probably threw what will be the best performance of the Pecos League all year. He threw a three hitter. Had no walks, seven strikeouts. We hit the ball. Only had one error. We played a great baseball game all the way around."
And surprisingly, Trigger manager J.D. Droddy didnt sound too upset, except about his teams errors.
"We hit the ball really well, and I cant tell you how many time we hit the ball straight at somebody," he said. "Just time after time. Line drives to shortstop. Really hard hit balls that almost went out of the park and were caught. We ended up hitting it right at people. But the story again for us was errors. Were not going to win until we quit making errors. Its as simple as that. And were a better defensive ball club than that. But we made errors."
For four innings, there were no errors by either side and only three hits: a Matt Grosso double in the first; Adam Kam single in the second and SAm DiMatteo single in the fourth. Trigger Tony Smith was matching Nebisawa almost pitch for pitch.
But in the top of the fifth, that run came to an end.
Ricky Brown opened the stanza with a single and advanced to second on an error. Two outs later, Nebisawa helped his own cause with an RBI triple and Grosso followed that with an RBI double. Randy Wells followed that with a single, and that was all Las Vegas needed. But they kept adding runs through the rest of the game.
"We kept on plugging on," Dill said. "The thing about the Pecos League is theres no lead thats ever safe. So our hitters are going up there to hit the ball, get on base and continue to score runs. Because of some of the experiences we had earlier in the year losing big leads, were playing nine innings, and were looking at scoring runs regardless (of the score.)"
Kam homered in the sixth and Grosso homered in the seventh off James Coon, who threw his first pitches this season because of an injury.
In the eighth, Matt Mullen came in and gave up a Chris Wilson double and Kam single with Wilson scoring on a fielders choice. Four Trinidad errors in the top of the ninth contributed to the final Train Robber run.
DiMatteo got two of the three hits off Nebisawa, doubling in the seventh with Benji Waite getting a single in the ninth.
Still, Droddy wasnt too unhappy.
"I talked to the team afterwards. We made some bad base running decisions and we made errors. Ive got really no complaints about the hitting, even though we didnt get very many hits. You hit it really hard, and you hit it right where you hit it, theres just nothing you can do about it. You have those days."
Dill never went to his bench, getting hits from all but one of his starters, led by Grosso (5-for-3, three runs, 2 RBI) and Kam (5-for-3, one run and RBI.)
The Triggers now head south to Alamogordo, and Droddy said his team is ready for the Pupfish.
"We lost two in a row and were going into White Sands and going to try to bring that to a halt," he said. "But Las Vegas is a much better ball club than an 0-5 start looks. THey made some fantastic plays and have great hitters. They have really good hitters. They hit our pitching pretty well."
Las Vegas heads back north, this time to Raton.
"Another interdivision series," Dill said. "Four big games. If we can get a sweep well get over the .500 mark and probably be in the top two in our division. Being that this is a four-game series and an inter-division series its a very big series for us. Right now were coming off two great wins where we played great baseball for nine innings from top to bottom in all facets of the game, and were very confident right now and weve got a lot of momentum going in our favor."
Robbers get first win of season, Triggers first loss
Trinidad and Las Vegas -- two teams
Trinidad and Las Vegas -- two teams on the opposite ends of the standings -- squared off in Central Park Tuesday and tightened the standing just a bit. (Photo by Andrew Dunn)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
TRINIDAD, Colo. -- Two Pecos lead teams did something Tuesday they havent done all season.
For one, that was a plus and the other a minus, as Las Vegas got its first victory of the season, handing Trinidad its first loss, 13-6. And according to both coaches, the difference came down to timely plays and errors.
"If you give a good baseball team multiple opportunities, theyre going to take advantage of them, and they made two or three errors in one inning and we exploited them," said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. "We took advantage of them and thats what a good baseball team does."
"We almost outhit them two to one but we made four errors," agreed Trinidad manager J.D. Droddy.
Accurate stats and play-by-play were not available after the game, so details are scarce. But according to the line score, the first three innings were a pitchers duel, with Robber Edison Alvarez and Trigger Grant Leadbetter keeping the game scoreless through three.
It was still close after four, as Trinidad took a 1-0 lead on singled by Frank Florio and Mike Goldy and a Will Leonard double.
But Las Vegas broke the game open in the fifth and sixth, scoring five runs on two hit and three errors in the fifth and three runs on two hits -- including a 2 RBI homer by Chris Wilson -- in the sixth.
Those eight runs were enough to win the game, but after going scoreless in the seventh, the Train Robbers scored another five runs on five hits in the eighth.
"We threatened them every inning," Dill said. "We had runners in scoring position every inning and were going to hit the baseball. Were going to hit and if our pitching is there out of our bullpen, were going to win a lot of baseball games. If the bullpen can be decent, were going to win a lot of baseball games."
Droddy said his starter pitched will, but couldnt overcome the mistakes.
"He pitched fairly well but errors got us behind and I think hell take the loss, but it was in large part due to some errors. We played hard. We kept playing to the end as always. We scored some runs late to tighten it up and just couldnt come back."
The Triggers tallied four runs in the eighth off Alvarez and Eddie Medina, and one in the ninth off Ben Runton -- a triple by Sam DiMatteo led off the eighth and Frank Florio homered in the ninth -- but it was too little, too late.
Las Vegas 12 hits came from pretty much across the board, with A.J. Alexander and Andrew Lopez 2-for-4; and Ryan Lauer, Matt Grosso and Wilson 2-for-5. Goldy led Trinidad with a 3-for-4 night. Bryce Miller and Matt Hunt were 2-for-4 and Florio and Leonard 2-for-5.
The loss was the seasons first for the Triggers, and Droddy knows it wont be the last, but he said theyll just come back out Wednesday.
"Edison Alvarez pitched pretty well for them although we had plenty of hits," the manager said. "After he left we got even more. But they made plays. They made some great plays to stop some scoring opportunities for us. Overall, Im disappointed we lost but thats baseball. Well come back tomorrow and go again."
For Vegas, the goal is to stay on the winning track.
"Long ways to go," Dill said. "Weve got 64 games to go so were going to take it one game at a time. These guys are hungry and were going to continue to try to win baseball games."
Roswell gets series sweep over improving Train Robbers
Robber first baseman Adam Kam is re
Robber first baseman Adam Kam is ready as the ball comes straight to his glove. (Photo by Robert Bailey)
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- The final game of the five-game series between Roswell and Las Vegas ended pretty the same way the other four did -- with the Invaders getting a last-inning victory -- but Game 5 was different in that that 8-7 loss belonged more to the pitcher than the hitters.
And, both managers agreed, it was the best game for both teams.
"I think both teams played a lot better," said Invader manager Chris Ebright. "Today was more of a "baseball game. There wasnt that many errors. There wasnt as many hits as been going on. The pitchers did well. For the most part, we made the routine plays and it was more of a strategic game than just an all-out, everyone hitting."
"I think this was the best baseball game we played so far, and things just havent gone our way this first series," said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. "We made one error. Our defense played very well overall. The one error ended up costing us two runs, which ended up being the difference in the ball game. But we have nowhere to go but up from here. It was good to see we played a solid baseball game all around. Roswell is a team thats going to make you beat them. The one costly error cost us big but we kept fighting to the end, and were going to win a lot more baseball games than we lose."
Its an interesting line score that tells much of the story.
Each team scored two runs in three different innings. Roswell scored another two runs in a fourth, while Vegas only scored one. That one run was the difference between losing and a tie. But initiall, it looked like the Robbers might finally have things going their way.
After Will Walsh reached on an error, Matt Gross homered to put them up 2-0. Robber starter Derrick Martinez then struck out the Invaders in the bottom of the inning before Las Vegas made it 4-0 after 1-1/2.
A.J. Alexander doubled and scored on a Gary Stauff single. With two outs, Walsh walked and Gross got his third RBI of the game on a single.
Martinez started the second the way he ended the first, with two strikeouts, but catcher STauff dropped the third strike and Charles Dubanoski made it safely to first. Mike McCarthy and Andrew Deeds both singled, scoring Dubanoski, and McCarthy scored on a sacrifice by Jonathan Sa.
Roswell tied it in the fourth when Dubanoski and McCarthy hit back-to-back doubles, and McCarthy came home on a fly ball and wild pitch.
The fifth inning was the difference, as the Robbers again went up, but could onbly bring one run across. Walsh doubled and Gross singled him in.
Martinez walked Vincent Mejia in the bottom of the fifth and, after another of his nine strike outs, gave up a home run to McCarthy, making it 6-5.
The Invaders stretched their lead in the sixth off reliever Michael Kershner and that one big Vegas error.
Chad Kruse was hit and Matthew Faiman reached on a bobble by the third baseman. Kruse then scored on a fielders choice that put Roger Bernal at first, and after he was wild pitched to second, he came home on Dubanoskis second double of the day.
But, as been the case through the entire series, the game wasnt over until the fat lady had sung. Jesus Carlos came in for Roswell in relief in the seventh, giving up singles to Walsh and Randy Wells, then, with two outs, walking Adam Kan and allowing a 2 RBI single to pinch hitter Joey Naskell.
The game then came down to the relievers, and they did their jobs.
Ben Runyon got Roswell out in the seventh and eighth, and while Ryan Rogers put runners on base in both the eighth and ninth, the Train Robbers couldnt plate those runners, with the game ending on a double play from Chad Kruse to Dubanoski.
"That was a great turn by Chad Kruse," Ebright said. "Great job by Ryan Rogers to close them out the last two innings. Theyre a heck of a hitting baseball team, so everybodys going to be on the edge of their seats when it comes down to the eighth and ninth innings, but youve got to tip your hats to those guys for battling and tip your hats to our guys for closing out the baseball game."
The middle of the Invader lineup did most of the damage Saturday, with McCarthy 3-for-3 with three runs and RBI; Deeds 2-for-3 with 1 RBI; and Dubanoski 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Sa got the win with Rogers getting the save.
Walsh and Gross led the Robbers. Walsh was 2-for-4 with three runs; Gross 3-for-5 with one run and 4 RBI; and Staff was 2-for-4 with one run and RBI.
"I saw a lot of positive things today, and going down to the last three outs in the ninth inning, we gave them a run," Dill said. "We played good baseball. If we play baseball like this consistently throughout the season, were going to be fine. The goal is to make the playoffs and give ourselves a chance and if we can play like this I think well be right there at the end."
Las Vegas heads north Sunday, looking to gets their first win in Trinidad. The Invaders stay home, as White Sands (1-3) come to Joe Bauman Stadium. So what will it take to continue the winning streak?
"Just keep playing baseball," Ebright said. "Baseball is a game you just keep playing your thing. Theres going to be some strategy with some of their hitters, but weve seen their guys in spring training, and they can hit a little bit, too."
First pitch is set for 5 p.m.
Gaylord homers help Roswell to big victory
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- Friday, Invader fans had a chance to breathe easy for most of the game vs. Las Vegas, as, in contrast with the first three games between the two teams, Roswell went up early and continued to stretch the lead, winning 16-4.
The big difference was the second inning, which saw the Invaders send a bakers dozen to the plate, highlighted by the first of two home runs by Erick Gaylord.
"I knew Erick Gaylord could do that," said Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "I knew he could do that, thats why we brought him here, and hes got speed and power, which are two great things for a baseball player, obviously."
The Invaders left the bases loaded in the first without scoring, but they had no problem with that in the second. Andrew Deeds led off with a triple, then, one out later, Gaylord and Chad Kruse singled; Ryan Normoyle and Roger Bernal each reached on errors; Vincent Mejia walked; Mike McCarthy singled; Nate Theunissen doubled; and, now back where they started, Deeds doubled and that was it for Train Robber starter Anthony Nalepa.
But Chuck Fontana, just called up to Las Vegas, didnt do much better, giving up the Gaylord home run.
Will Walsh got the first Robber home run with a solo homer in the third, then singles by Randy Wells, Chris Wilson and Adam Kam in the fourth made it 10-2, but Roswell closed out the inning with a crowd-pleasing double play.
Roswell added another four runs in the bottom of the stanza, two coming off Gaylords second home run of the night, and two on a pair of walks and a single.
It wasnt the first time the right fielder had smacked two shots in a game -- the first time, he said, was in a summer league in 2011 -- and he wasnt even sure either was going out.
"They just kind of barely cleared the fence, so I ran hard, hit it hard and they happened to go out today," he said.
The fifth and sixth were scoreless, then, with Eric Lambe in in relief of starter David Mueller, Las Vegas got two runs on an error, walk and Chris Wilson double. But that was all Las Vegas could score, and the Invaders added an insurance pair in the eighth on a Lambe single and Normoyle home run.
"A little surprising," Ebright said of the left-fielders blast. "We knew he had a little pop, but we didnt know he had left-center pop being a left-handed hitter."
For Las Vegas manager Casey Dill, the loss was more of the same.
"Were consistently the same team every night," he said. "I cant expect us to put up 12 runs every game. It would be nice to think that we would. I think most games we are going to put up a lot of runs and tonight we didnt, but any game, no matter how many runs you score, if you have a 10-run inning and you give up 10 hits in three innings and youre walking guys, youre not going to win many baseball games. It was the same game, kinda different circumstances, different innings that it happened in, but its no different than Game 2 or Game 3, but we just have one inning where we completely implode."
While every Invader who went to the plate except Mueller had at least one hit -- with Deeds 4-for-5 with three runs and 2 RBI -- the "Mueller /Lambe combination held Las Vegas to just seven hits.
"They did great, and that what we look for from our pitchers," Ebright said.
Gaylord said hes not surprised at the early-season Roswell success.
"Actually, weve got a pretty good group of guys," he said. "I think were pretty talented. Were starting to gel together, and honestly we havent even hit our stride yet. Weve got a good bunch of guys who come out and work hards every day and its paying off, so Im expecting great things out of our team."
Dill is trying to keep a good outlook despite the 0-4 start..
"Im staying positive, as this point, I look at this more or less as our spring training," he said. "Because I didnt have a baseball field to accurately assess these guys. We did our best with what we were provided. We had a bullpen and we had a batting cage, and I cant accurately assess how hitters hit live pitching and our pitchers face live hitting if we dont have those opportunities."
Dill said hell keep looking for a combination that works, and in the mean time, the two teams will wrap up the series Saturday a 7 p.m. in Roswell.
Another night, another Roswell come back
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- Another day, another come-from-behind victory by Roswell puts the Invaders on top of the league -- either division -- with a perfect 3-0 record after Thursdays 12-11 victory over winless Las Vegas.
"I tell you what," laughed Roswell coach Chris Ebright. "These kids, they dont know what theyre doing to us. Even the fans out there. Were making it exciting, which, some times, I wish we would just get ahead and not make it exciting. But, you know, again, our guys fought back, and we scored eight in the bottom of the eighth and these guys just dont quit."
The first five innings made it look as though it might be a low-scoring pitching duel between starters Ryan Richardson and Atsushi Nebisawa.
Richardson allowed one Train Robber run in the first on singles by Matt Grosso, , Randy Wells and Adam Kam, and one in the fourth when Wilson singled and advanced on a throw, sacrifice and put out.
Roswell tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Nate Theunissen, Andrew Deeds and Ryan Richardson all singled -- Richardson scoring Theunissen -- and Chad Cruse had an RBI sacrifice fly.
The fifth was scoreless on both sides, but the Robbers seemed to break it open in the sixth, scoring six runs off six hits -- starting with a home run by Randy Wells -- and two errors.
The Invaders added one in the bottom of the sixth and the score remained 8-3 after seven. But after Roswell reliever Ryan Rogers held Las Vegas scoreless in the top of the eighth, the Invaders had that big eight-run eighth, scoring off relievers Kevin Camacho, Joel Sanchez. MIchael Kershner and Ben Runyon.
An Erick Gaylord triple, Cruse single and Ryan Normoyle opened the inning, with two walks, an error, a hit batter, two wild pitches and two singles all combined to bring the Roswell runners home.
The only bad news was when Jordan Owen was hit, and hit hard. As he tried to bunt, Kershner threw high and tight, and the ball smacked the hitter in the face. He was taken to the hospital where it was discovered his jaw was broken in two places, and he"s currently in Albuquerque, awaiting surgery, and is reported in good spirits.
That bit of bad news aside, the Invaders led 11-8 with only three outs to get.
But just as happened Wednesday, Roswell pitcher Jacob Cook couldnt hold Vegas, with the Train Robbers scoring three runs with two outs on a hit batter, error and single off Cook, then singles by Lauer and Michael Pena off Scott Elitzy.
The game was now tied 11-all.
And again, just as the day before, Las Vegas couldnt hang on, as Eddie Medina walked Roger Bernal and Vincent Meji, got Bernal out on a fielders choice but then gave up a single to the days hero, Theunissen, who singled to score the winning run.
"I hope we just keep it going," Ebright said of the hitting. "I think its just another one of those games where, in a way, we were lucky we were the last at bat. Were at home. But these kids make it exciting."
Las Vegas coach Casey Dill was understandably upset after giving away the third game in a row.
"Our bullpen has failed us miserably," he said. "Our bullpen has cost us two baseball games two nights in a row. Out bullpen isnt doing its job. Its that simple. Our bullpen has cost us two baseball games. Giving up a three-run lead and a five-run lead is not acceptable. I can control what I can control, and I can control who stays and who goes, and right now Im not going to sit back and watch us blow games every night. So theres guys who are fighting for their job every day, and there will be changes after this series."
Both starters pitched well -- Nebisawa more so, allowing only three runs, two earned, on eight hits while striking out six -- but both coaches had concern about their relievers.
"Just like them (Vegas), our relievers have got to do something different," Ebright said.
"Our hitting is going to give us a chance to win the baseball game every night," Dill said. "And as long as we can keep the errors to a minimum and we can throw strikes with a lead and get guys out with a lead late in the ballgame, were going to win a lot of baseball games. Right now, the last two baseball games have just been complete, absolute melt downs. And thats all it is. Guys are nervous. Theyre not ready to be here and like I said, were going to make some roster moves after this series. Its that simple."
Roswell also gave the fans several highlights in the field, throwing out Robber runners in both the first and second, then Gaylord making a throw from right field to start a double play.
"Weve just got to get more consistent defensively," Ebright said. "The first half of the game, we actually, I think, played very bad baseball. We didnt get runners in from scoring position with less than two outs. Some bad base running and I think we made some mistakes on key defensive plays. But overall, again, it was ugly but Ill take it. But weve got to get better.
Invaders get ugly comeback win over Train Robbers
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- Whether its the water or the aliens or just something at Joe Bauman Field, the Invaders have been heart-attack kids for as long as theyve been playing -- managing to pull out games at the last minute and giving the fans their moneys worth.
And they did it again Wednesday, topping Las Vegas 11-10 in a back-and-forth game that was won on a walk-off single by Roger Bernal -- who hit a grand slam Tuesday to secure that win.
"I think I just added two years onto my age here," laughed Roswell manager Chris Ebright. "But you know, the guys kept fighting. It seemed like every move we made, tip your hat to those guys (the Train Robbers). They hit. Theyre good. That team over there, Las Vegas, theyre good. But our guys kept battling. They had good at bats at the end, making the pitcher work and getting hit by a few pitches and finally Roger Bernal came through."
Las Vegas had the upper hand early, leading 1-0 on two singles and an error then going up 3-1 in the third on singles by Matt Grosso and Randy Wells, and a 2 RBI double by Chris Wilson.
But the Invaders used the long ball to go up 4-3 in the fourth -- Nate Theunissen brought in Vincent Mejia on a smash to right center, then singles by Andrew Deeds and Andrew Shoemaker and a passed ball gave Roswell the lead -- and 7-4 in the fifth.
After Grosso, Wells and Wilson hit back-to-back-to back triples to score one run in the top of the fifth, Bernal singled, Mejia walked and Charles Dubanoski hit it over the fence for a three-run home run.
But four Roswell relievers -- Shoemaker went four complete, then Eric Lambe, Will Scott, Scott Elitzky and A.J. Martin wrapped up the game -- couldnt hold the Las Vegas batters.
The Train Robbers scored two runs apiece in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings, taking the lead in the eighth when Will Walsh was hit, stole second and came in on a Gross single. Gross scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball, fielders choice and Ryan Laur single, then Vegas added two more runs in the ninth to go up 10-7.
The inning didnt start well, as former Invader Adam Kam struck out and was ejected for arguing the call, but Eddie Medina and Ricky Brown each singled and came in on a Wilson double. All Brandon Petrangelo, who came in to pitch in the bottom of the ninth, had to do was get three outs.
But Dubanoski doubled, Nate Theunissen walked, Deeds was hit to load the bases and pinch hitter Mike McCarthy was hit, scoring Dubanoski. Erick Gaylord made it 10-9 with a sacrifice fly, then, after Ryan Normoyle walked, Bernal hit the game winning single that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Martin got the win and Petrangelo the loss, with Las Vegas starter Greg Fowler giving up seven runs before relievers Ben Runyon, Michael Kershner and Medina shut the Invaders down for 2-2/3 innings.
While Ebright was once again happy with his teams offense, he wasnt as pleased with the pitching.
"Pitching was iffy," he said. "Were gonna have to do something about getting some outs a little bit easier. I guess well see."
But going 2-0 to open the season? That feels good.
"We all feel good," he said. "Baseballs a funny game. These guys again (Las Vegas), theyre feeling out some positions. Their pitchers too, and when it comes down to it, theyre going to be up there with the best teams."
The two teams meet again Thursday in the middle game of the five-game series with first pitch at 7 p.m.
Invader pitching shuts down Las Vegas hitting
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- As much as people like to think they can predict the outcome of games, baseball is an unpredictable sport, and that showed Monday a...
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- As much as people like to think they can predict the outcome of games, baseball is an unpredictable sport, and that showed Monday as Roswell topped Las Vegas 8-2 in the season opener for both squads at Joe Bauman Park.
Train Robber starter Edison Alvarez -- widely touted as one of the top pitchers in the Pecos League -- pitched well, but was betrayed by a number of Las Vegas errors. Invader Ed Kohout, meanwhile, only allowed two runs -- one earned -- in six complete innings, while relievers Matthew Faiman and Jacob Cook shut strong-hitting Las Vegas down through the final three innings.
Then there was the little thing called a grand slam, which Vincent Mejia sent out of the park in the sixth to give Roswell a big lead.
"Good things happen when you throw the ball over the plate," said Invader manager Chris Ebright. "Tip your hat to those guys. Theyre hitters, and there sometimes they just missed the ball but our pitchers did well and our hitters came through today."
"The scoreboar
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
ROSWELL -- As much as people like to think they can predict the outcome of games, baseball is an unpredictable sport, and that showed Monday as Roswell topped Las Vegas 8-2 in the season opener for both squads at Joe Bauman Park.
Train Robber starter Edison Alvarez -- widely touted as one of the top pitchers in the Pecos League -- pitched well, but was betrayed by a number of Las Vegas errors. Invader Ed Kohout, meanwhile, only allowed two runs --one earned --in six complete innings, while relievers Matthew Faiman and Jacob Cook shut strong-hitting Las Vegas down through the final three innings.
Then there was the little thing called a grand slam, which Vincent Mejia sent out of the park in the sixth to give Roswell a big lead.
"Good things happen when you throw the ball over the plate," said Invader manager Chris Ebright. "Tip your hat to those guys. Theyre hitters, and there sometimes they just missed the ball but our pitchers did well and our hitters came through today."
"The scoreboard says four errors, but I know we had at least five, and probably at five or six of their hits, so more than half of their hits, were infield hits," said Train Robber manager Casey Dill. "We kicked the ball around in the infield. Its the same thing we did in the exhibition game. And were not making excuses. We havent been able to be on a field as much as we would like to be because of our field situation. Weve been practicing in a cage and off of a bullpen mound, and again, not making excuses. These guys are good enough ball players that five errors and five infield singles shouldnt be acceptable. So, we beat ourselves."
After a 1-2-3 top of the first -- Matt Gross singled but was caught stealing -- Roswell made it 1-0 in the bottom of the stanza when Jeff Eubanks tripled and scored on a putout.
It was another 1-2-3 inning for Kohout in the second, while the Invaders wasted a one-out, bases loaded situation.
Roswell added a run in the fifth when Roger Bernal singled and Mejia doubled him home. Las Vegas tied it at 2-2 in the top of the sixth when Edison singled, Will Walsh was hit and, after advancing on a putout, both scored on a single by Randy Wells. But that was all the scoring for the Robbers, and Mejis blew it open in the bottom of the sixth.
Faiman reached on an error, Erick Gaylord singled and both advanced on a ground out. That was it for Alvarez, and after walking Ryan Normoyle to load the bases, reliever Keith Vasquez left for Eddie Medina, who gave up an RBI single to Bernal.That brought Mejisa to the plate, and, to the cheers for the opening-day crowd, he sent a shot to left center that cleared the bases and put Roswell up 7-2.
The Invaders added one final run in the seventh on a Nate Theunissen single, error by the Cowboy third baseman; a second error by the third baseman and a balk.
"Mejias the guy we think whos obviously going to be our power hitter, and he came through and hopefully he can keep doing it," Ebright said, indirectly praising the rest of his hitters with kind words for Alvarez.
"That kid is good. Their starting pitcher, I think hes got three or four pitches he can throw for a strike at any count. Thats baseball sometimes you win, sometimes you dont, and we won today but hes good. Hes going to be a really good run."
Dill praised the Roswell pitchers equally.
"Theyve got some very good arms and again, not to make excuses because were not making excuses, we havent seen a whole lot of live pitching," he said. "Weve only the two exhibition games, so our starters today only had one game of live pitching. Again, thats not an excuse. These guys are good pitchers but theyre no different than the guys theyve been facing their whole lives. We werent aggressive enough tat the plate. We were trying to hit the ball out of the yard but we popped a lot of balls up and Roswell played solid defense. They played a great baseball game. They made us beat them today and we didnt do that."
Three Invaders had solid days at the plate. Mejisa was 2-for-2 with one run scored and 5 RBI. Theunissen was 3-for-4 with one run and Bernal 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and runs. Only Alvarez -- who was 2-for-2 with one run scored -- had more than one hit for the Robbers.
The teams will meet again Wednesday, with Andrew Shoemaker starting for Roswell and Greg Fowler for Las Vegas. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Train Robber bats hot in spring training game vs. Raton
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — One of the teams picked to finish near the top of the Pecos League and another that’s not expected to finish quite
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — One of the teams picked to finish near the top of the Pecos League and another that’s not expected to finish quite as high squared off in the opening game of Tuesday’s spring training tripleheader at Highlands University in Las Vegas.
The host Train Robbers — who many are picking to take the league title — scored more than two dozen runs in a marathon game against Raton, but neither manager was really looking at the score. Rather, their goal was to evaluate their players and both saw plusses and minuses.
“We looked good,” said Las Vegas manager Casey Dill. “The hitting’s always going to be there. This actually reminded me a lot of the team we had in Las Cruces last year. I think we probably scored 25 runs this game. At the same time, the part I’m disappointed in is we made five errors and I think we walked too many guys. To me, I don’t think they should have scored as many runs as they did, and that was a reflection of us not playing great on defense and walking guys
The Train Robber Era Begins in Las Vegas/San Miguel County
Casey Dill and Thomas Nelson have a
Casey Dill and Thomas Nelson have arrived in Las Vegas. Las vegas hosts the Pecos League combine on May 7. Manager Casey Dill says: "Las Vegas is good place that loves baseball. The era of the Train Robber is back, there were Train Robbers here in 1912 and we are back. Other teams will fear playing games in Las Vegas and request the schedule to be changed. That is the type of ballclub we are building. The people in Las Vegas and San Miguel County have been great, we will be at the top of the standings for them. The best fans in the league deserve the best team in the league. I love the fact we are using Old Hickory Bats and playing baseball in Las Vegas. "
The Train Robbers open the 2013 season in Roswell on May 14. Follow the Train Robbers at http://lasvegas.pecosleague.com
Las Vegas Train Robbers Meet and Greet Successful
The Las Vegas Train Robbers held th
The Las Vegas Train Robbers held their inaugural Meet and Greet. Casey Dill, Andrew Dunn and Thomas Nelson attended on behalf of the Train Robbers. Andrew Dunn explained the process of the Pecos League, the other towns in the league and the length of the season. Casey Dill expressed his need for host families and how welcoming the town has been.
Las Vegas Train Robbers hats have arrived
The Las Vegas Train Robbers hats ar
The Las Vegas Train Robbers hats are available for sale to the Public at The Train Robbers Online Store. The Hats are Royal with a Red Bill. They feature the Train Robbers Logo, City of Las Vegas Seal, New Mexico Flag and Spell out Las Vegas New Mexico. Mayor Alfonso E. Ortiz was the first to don the hats.
Josh Szwaczkowski says "This hat is as good as any professional hat I have seen in the store, the detail is incredible."
By Karen Boehler
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer
LAS VEGAS, N.M. When someone says Las Vegas, the first place that springs to mind for most people is the Nevada gambling mecca. Which makes it a little difficult for Train Robbers manager Casey Dill when hes telling people about his new gig with the Las Vegas, New Mexico, Train Robbers.
Everyone goes, Oh, Las Vegas has a new team? And I have to say, No, its Las Vegas, New Mexico. Its a little bit different than Las Vegas, Nev. People are starting to figure it out, but its definitely one of the first things people are aware of when Im talking to them about it.
But, he hopes, by the end of the 2013 Pecos League season, Las Vegas, New Mexico, will be much better known.
Im completely planning on having one of the best teams in the league again, and promoting my players at the end of the season again, Dill said.
The former Las Cruces manager sent 14 players to higher-level ball in 2012 after losing the league championship to Alpine in a close, three-game series, including his entire starting lineup, two non-starters and three pitchers.
Every one of my starters is now playing in the Frontier League and Jimmy Parque is playing with the St Louis Cardinals, Dill said, which means he has somewhat of an unusual problem in building a team for the expansion Robbers.
Im having to build a roster completely from scratch, Dill said. We want to have as much success as we had last year, so its quite the challenge.
Dill is bringing in three players from his former Vaquero squad two pitchers and a catcher but other than that, hes busy recruiting talent.
Ive got a lot of work to do still, and Im just going to keep on talking to scouts and to coaches and try to keep on seeing as many players as I can, the manager said. Ive got three months to put together the best team I can.
But with only 11 players on the roster so far, Dill is going out on a limb with a prediction.
Ill make my early pick for the Pecos League MVP right now. Its going to be Matt Grosso, he said. Dill called the starting center fielder from the University of Notre Dame, One of the best hitters Ive ever seen in my life, so hes my early pick for Pecos League MVP.
Even at the second-lowest elevation in the league, the thing the Vaqueros were known for last year was their hitting, and as hes putting together the Las Vegas roster with a ball park at almost 6,900 feet Dill is keeping that in mind.
With the Vaqueros last summer, the first half of the season, we averaged 16 runs a game, which was a record for the league and probably a record, I would imagine, for any professional team anywhere, Dill said. Sixteen runs a game is a lot. Im planning on having just as offensive a team this year as I did last year, and in that elevation, all the time, I think its going to be possible we can do something very similar with this team. Weve going to be a very offensive team. I expect our lineup to be dangerous, one through nine.
Dill will also be bringing back assistant coach Dustin Woodard, who hes worked with the past seven years.
We work very well together, the manager said. Weve had a lot of success working together, so I"m very happy to have a guy like that who Ive worked with so well for so long.
The Train Robbers will play on the Luna Community College campus, where the NJCAA Rough Riders compete in the WJCAC. And while Dill hasnt had a chance to check out the field himself, he has friends both with the Rough Riders and Highlands University Cowboys whove given him glowing reviews of the facility and community.
I know a lot of people who have been there and played baseball there and that kind of stuff. They say the facilities are very nice and they think the community is going to be very supportive of us, he said. Ive only heard very good things about whats going on in Las Vegas, with the facility. With the support from the city. It sounds like all around, things are looking great there.
That will be a change from Las Cruces, which had a tough time drawing despite the Vaquero success
I think the support there is going to be great, and I think were going to have one of the strongest teams in the league, not only on the field, but as an entire organization off the field as well.
Another difference Dill will see from his first year in the Pecos League is a lot less travel, with the other four northern teams all less than two hours away.
I think its great, because it means we dont have to travel as far very often, he said. Theres definitely going to be a lot of rivalry. Were going to be on the field with each other a lot of times, and theres going to be a lot of rivalry between all the teams in both divisions. I do think its a good thing. I couldnt be happier that (league commissioner) Andrew (Dunn) was able to expand the league to eight teams. I think thats great for everybody. The two division format, I think, will work out great.
And while he said hes not sure which team will become the Train Robbers natural rival, hes sure that will happen, but is more concerned with a southern division team.
Right now, Alpines the best team in the league. We lost to them in Game 3 of the championship. Right now, my focus is 100 percent on them, Dill said. Theyre the team to beat and I know we dont play them as often as some of the other teams, but I fully plan to be back in the championship game. Alpine has done a phenomenal job in building a great baseball program down there, and theyre who I have my eyes set on right now. Ill always take it one game at a time, because were trying to win every game, every time we step on the field no matter who it is.
Amarillo by Morning, Train Robbers
Amarillo by Morning, Train Robbers to play exhibition game
against Sox in Amarillo.
The Las Vegas Train Robbers will play their first ever game in
Potter County Memorial Stadium in Amarillo Texas on May
12th at 5:00 and 7:00 PM.
The game will serve as a tune up for the Sox who open their
American Association Season in El Paso on May 16th.
The Train Robbers will open at Roswell on May 14th.
The games are exhibition games and features two former Las
Cruces Vaqueros Managers Bobby Brown (2010) and Casey
Dill (2012).
The Las Vegas Train Robbers have re
The Las Vegas Train Robbers have released their inaugural Hats for their 2013 season. The hats are royal blue with a red bill. The logo with Train Robber Rob is on the front with his custom LV handkerchief.
The back of the hat says Las Vegas New Mexico. The left side has the New Mexico Flag and the right side the city of Las Vegas seal and logo.
The hats are made by Zephyr and the red bill stands out in the Pecos League, which is dominated with blue jerseys.
"These hats look great," said Train Robbers field manager Casey Dill. "I loved my Vaqueros hat and colors from last year and these are better."
The Train Robbers take the field for the first time against the Amarillo Sox on May 12 in an exhibition game. The Train Robbers take the field on for their inaugural regular season game on May 14 in Roswell against the Roswell Invaders.
These hats will be for sale to the Public via the Train Robbers Website on March 4, 2013. http://lasvegas.pecosleague.com.
