Veteran East Mountain Squad Proves Too Much for Young Moriarty team

SANDIA PARK  — The East Mountain Timberwolves flexed their offensive muscle and showcased their veteran depth on Tuesday, powering past the Moriarty Pintos 17-5 in a non-conference rivalry matchup.

East Mountain (6-1) belted five home runs and erupted for nine runs in the second inning to seize control of the five-inning contest. Senior Charlie Birdwell led the offensive onslaught, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs.

Seniors Ty Rector and Quinlan Gwyther, along with sophomore Brody Johnson, also homered for the Timberwolves. Rector drove in four runs on two hits, while Gwyther tallied three RBIs.

“Totally meeting our expectations,” East Mountain coach Chris Moya said of his team’s strong start to the season. “I’m pretty proud of how these guys are playing. They’re playing at a really mature level. This is basically their fourth run at it, and they’re not making the mistakes they were making in years past, and playing pretty complete baseball.”

The Timberwolves’ depth was on full display both at the plate and on the mound. Senior Cole Darnell earned the win, tossing three scoreless innings while striking out three and allowing just one hit.

“It puts pressure on the other teams,” Moya said. “We got more arms than we got innings to throw, and that’s a luxury to have in baseball. The depth of our lineup is really deep. Most 3A and 4A teams, their lineups are two through six. We’re one through nine, and we got young guys that can come off the bench and produce as well.”

Moriarty (2-5) pushed across two runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth, fighting against the large deficit. Sophomores Cash Klein and Rylan Thackerson each recorded two hits and two RBIs for the Pintos. Junior Tyler Denomme also collected two hits and drove in a run, while junior Royce Dennisson scored twice.

Moriarty coach Ben Gonzales acknowledged his squad’s growing pains against an experienced opponent.

“We have a lot of work to do. I have a young team,” Gonzales said. “I only have two seniors, so I got a lot of sophomores, a few juniors. … I know there’s going to be bumps in the road, but we could be a very solid team. I’m going to throw ‘potential’ out there, but that’s a scary word.”

Despite the lopsided score, both coaches embraced the friendly but competitive nature of the local rivalry. Many of the athletes on both rosters grew up playing alongside one another.

“It’s fun for these guys,” Gonzales said. “They’re playing kids that they went to middle school with or played Little League with at the same time.”

Moya echoed the sentiment, noting his own familiarity with the visiting dugout.

“It’s great, especially for us, and a lot of those guys on that Moriarty team, they’ve all played for a lot of us who coached here in the Little League, or they play in our club teams in town,” Moya said. “I know a lot of those guys, and it’s great to watch them compete. It’s always fun, especially when you know the guys on the other side.”