RANGELY | Having to face adversity in the 2023 high school baseball season is nothing new for the Rangely High School players. Like many teams on the Western Slope in Colorado, the Panthers have practiced outside on a snowless field one time in their season and that was when they traveled to Fruita Monument High School during their spring break. Since then, the Panthers have played six games and have a 2-4 overall record. Last week, the Panthers traveled to Rifle to Cooper Field to host the Sailors from Steamboat Springs on Wednesday, and the Dove Creek Bulldogs on Saturday.
In game one vs. the Sailors, the Panthers could not escape the first inning in good fashion to the Sailors. The Panthers surrendered 12 runs in the top of the first inning, and that set the tone for the rest of the game. The Panthers responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Senior Kevin Wren singled in his first at-bat and then stole second base. Wren scored on the next pitch when senior Luis Quintana singled to right-field. With the single, Quintana advanced Kobey Chism who reached via base hit also behind Wren’s single. Luis Quintana’s younger brother Marcos Quintana doubled to left-center field to score both Chism and Quintana bringing the score to 12-3 at the end of the first inning.
Sophomore Landon Carlson came in relief in the bottom of the first inning and secured the last out needed to escape before anymore runs could be scored for the Sailors. Carlson continued to pitch for three more full innings to the top of the fifth. Carlson did not allow any runs, only gave up four hits while walking three Sailors and striking out two. The Panthers were able to plate another run in the bottom of the fourth inning to bring the score to 12-4. The Sailors were able to score two more in top of the fifth inning and one in the top of the sixth inning to the Panthers one run in the bottom of the fifth and six innings to make the score 15-6. Neither team scored in the seventh inning as the game ended with the score of 15-6. The loss dropped the Panthers to 0-3 on the season overall.
In game two vs. the Sailors the Panthers were focused on eliminating the big inning for the other team. The Panthers were able to do this as they only surrendered one run in the top of the first, third and fifth to the Sailors. Responding with one run in the bottom of the first, the Panthers found themselves down 2-1 entering the bottom of the fourth inning. In the inning, the Panthers were able to plate seven runs to bring the score to 8-2 in their favor. Kevin Wren and fellow senior, Drake Miller both doubled in the bottom of the fourth to plate two runs each. Miller went 2-2 in the game while scoring one run for the Panthers in the process. Junior Kobey Chism led the Panthers in the game with three stolen bases and two runs scored. The win was the first on the season for the Panthers, and it brought their record to 1-3 overall.
On Saturday, April 1, the Panthers traveled back down to Rifle to Cooper Field to be the home team again against the Dove Creek Bulldogs. The Bulldogs came into the day with an 0-5 overall record as the Panthers brought in their 1-3 record. The first game of the double-header was the best game of the year for both teams as the scoring was back-and-forth all game. The Bulldogs started the scoring in the top of the first inning by scoring two runs on three hits. The Panthers responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning as Kevin Wren and Kobey Chism each singled and were driven in by junior Dalton LeBleu.
The scoring continued in the top of the second inning with the Bulldogs plating two more runs to make the score 4-2 in their favor. The Panthers responded with two runs of their own to make the score 5-4 now in favor of the Panthers. Each team failed to score in the third inning, but each team responded with one run each in the fourth inning. With the Panthers leading 6-5 the Bulldogs found a way to score five runs in the top of the fifth. Two defensive miscues and two walks hurt the Panthers and allowed the Bulldogs to score five runs. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers were able to only score two runs and the score stood at 10-8 in favor of the Bulldogs. After keeping Dove Creek scoreless in the top of the sixth inning, the Panthers were able to load the bases and score two runs to even up the score at 10 runs for each team. In the top of the seventh inning, Dove Creek was able to score two more runs and keep the Panthers at bay in the bottom of the inning for the 12-10 victory.
Offensively for the Panthers, Dalton LeBleu led all hitters with four hits in five at-bats and three runs batted in. LeBleu drove in his three RBIs with a double and triple in the game. Kobey Chism was one for two in the game and he led the Panthers with four stolen bases. Kevin Wren and Marcos Quintana both had two hits on the day and Quintana drove in two RBIs in his effort.
In game two, the Panthers looked to get back onto the winning side with Marcos Quintana starting on the mound. “Marcos Quintana pitched well in game two against Steamboat on Wednesday, so we looked forward to seeing that success again on Saturday and that is what we got from him,” head coach Jeremy Lohry. Marcos threw four great innings, only giving up one run while striking out eight Bulldog hitters and only walking six.
The Panthers were able to jump out and keep their 2-0 lead and keep the lead for the rest of the game. The Bulldogs scored one run in the top of the fourth inning to bring the game to 2-1 with the Panthers leading. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers plated three more runs to push their lead to a 5-1 advantage. The Bulldogs cut into the four-run lead with one more run in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 5-2, but the Panthers answered right back with two runs to push the game to 7-2. The Bulldogs scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to make the game close but the Panthers were able to close the door for the win. Dalton LeBleu pitched three solid innings in relief to earn the save for the Panthers. The Panthers record now stands at two wins and four losses. The Panthers will enjoy a week off before hosting the Grand Valley Cardinals for their first league games on April 15 in Rangely
Special to the Herald Times
