Darnell Shuts Down West Las Vegas as No. 1 East Mountain Cruises Into 3A Championship

ALBUQUERQUE – Top-seeded East Mountain left no doubt about its championship pedigree Friday, riding a dominant two-hit shutout from ace Cole Darnell and an explosive late-inning offensive surge to defeat No. 4 West Las Vegas 10-0 in a five-inning, run-rule semifinal victory in the Class 3A state baseball championships.

With the win, the No. 1 Timberwolves (27-1) advance to Saturday’s state title game, where they will face No. 3 St. Michael’s (20-7) at 12:30 pm at the University of New Mexico’s Lobo Field. St. Michael’s secured its spot in the final with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Ruidoso earlier Friday.

For the first three innings, West Las Vegas starting pitcher Jerry Ortega managed to keep East Mountain off the scoreboard despite some hard-hit balls. But Timberwolves head coach Chris Moya sensed his lineup was on the verge of breaking through.

“It felt like the dam was just going to break sooner or later,” Moya said. “We didn’t score runs in that first inning, but the barrels were on the balls and seeing it fly off. It was only a matter of time before this thing blew wide open.”

The dam finally burst in the bottom of the fourth when East Mountain plated three runs before completely dismantling the West Las Vegas pitching staff with a seven-run fifth inning to end the game early via the 10-run mercy rule.

Luke Stoerner led the Timberwolves’ 12-hit attack, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a double. Quinlan Gwyther and Aidan Madrid each added a pair of hits and two RBIs, while Charles Birdwell and Christopher Moya also collected two hits apiece in the blowout.

While the offense provided the late fireworks, Darnell provided the baseline stability. The senior right-hander was virtually untouchable, tossing all 5.0 innings, striking out seven batters, and walking two while allowing just two hits on 73 pitches.

West Las Vegas (17-7) struggled to find any rhythm against Darnell. Cesar Montoya took the loss, laboring through four-plus innings, giving up five earned runs on four hits and two walks. Relief pitcher Jerry Ortega fared no better, surrendering five runs on four hits in his inning of work.

Coach Moya attributed his team’s clinical, high-IQ performance to the deep-rooted chemistry of a roster that has played together since early childhood.

“One thing that helps tremendously is knowing everybody’s personality, and when they’re up and when they’re down,” Moya said. “Things that I told them when they were 10, 11, 12 years old—it wasn’t sticking then, but it’s funny when I start to see these older guys turn to the younger guys and teach them things. Their baseball IQ is just as good as any 5A team out there.”

Moya noted that while the coaching staff felt the pre-game anxiety, the players remained remarkably loose, a composure they will carry into the championship game at UNM’s collegiate venue.

“I think it’s so cool that we’re gonna go play on a college baseball field where the big boys play,” Moya said. “And what we have in our bag that no other team in the state has right now is our number one going in game three in that championship game. I don’t know if any number ones are still left out there that can go.”

Albuquerque