Pintos Headed to Deming with Get-It-Done Attitude

Moriarty — For the first time in a decade, the Moriarty Pintos are headed to the state baseball tournament, and they are doing so with a resilient “get-it-done” mentality.

The No. 13 seed Pintos (13-9) travel south this weekend to face the No. 4 Deming Wildcats in a best-of-three series to open the Class 4A state championships. The series begins with game one on Friday, followed by a double-header on Saturday.

For head coach Ben Gonzales, a 2008 Moriarty alumnus, the trip is a milestone in a three-year process of rebuilding the program’s culture. Moriarty was once a perennial powerhouse that rarely missed the postseason, but the program has endured a drought since Gonzales’ junior year of high school.

“I mean, we know what got us here, so it’s (an underdog role) not going to really change anything,” Gonzales said of the team’s preparation. “The kids work hard every day. They’re ready to go, they’re excited. This is about the kids now, but it’s also about the guys that used to wear these jerseys back in the day.”

The Pintos enter the tournament battle-tested following a high-stakes district finale against Los Alamos. After dropping the first game and the district title, Moriarty showed its fortitude by bouncing back to win the second game. Gonzales credited the leadership of his two seniors, pitcher Nick Kamplain and catcher Raiden Scribner, for rallying the squad.

“Nick is a hard worker. You don’t have to tell the kid to go do something; he’ll go do it before you even ask him,” Gonzales said. “He’s a great kid all around.”

Statistically, the Pintos bring a potent offense to Deming. Moriarty is hitting a collective .391 on the season. The lineup is headlined by sophomore Cash Klein, who leads the team with a staggering .584 average, seven home runs, and 13 doubles. Micah Kamplain (.459 avg) and Trey Denomme (.429 avg) provide additional thump, combining for 62 RBIs.

On the mound, Micah Kamplain has been the staff ace, posting a 2.33 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 42 innings of work. He is expected to lead a rotation that includes Scott Batie (5 wins) and Nick Kamplain (17.3 innings, 22 strikeouts).

They face a formidable Deming team that finished the regular season 17-9 and swept through District 3-4A play undefeated. The Wildcats are led by a strong pitching staff and an offense that averages nearly eight runs per game.

Despite the gap in seeding and the fact that Moriarty hasn’t played Deming in recent memory, Gonzales says his team isn’t intimidated by the long road trip or the No. 4 ranking.

“Are we embracing the underdog role? If that’s where they got us,” Gonzales said. “But these guys are confident. We’re going to go out there and we’re going to give them what we got.”