East Mountain Plows Through Santa Fe Tournament

SANTA FE — Aidan Madrid pitched a complete game and senior Charlie Birdwell drove in three runs as the East Mountain Timberwolves defeated the Santa Fe Indian Braves 5-3 on Saturday to win the Santa Fe Indian School baseball tournament.

Madrid went the distance on the mound for the Timberwolves, allowing three runs on six hits over seven innings. The senior right-hander struck out six batters and worked around four walks to secure the victory, keeping the Braves at bay with a 97-pitch performance.

The most notable part of Madrid’s performance was handcuffing Santa Fe’s Nathaniel Benavidez (.846 average, 2nd in NM) into an 0-4 day at the plate.

East Mountain (9-1) backed Madrid with early offensive support, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before adding two runs in the second and two more in the fourth.

Birdwell led the offensive charge, going 2-for-4 with a double and a game-high three RBIs. Sophomore Brody Johnson served as a constant sparkplug, reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances. Johnson finished 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a double.

The Timberwolves tallied eight hits in the contest, showing off plenty of gap-to-gap power with six team doubles. Along with Birdwell and Johnson, seniors Ty Rector, Quinlan Gwyther and Madrid, as well as junior Ryan Moorhead, each roped a double.

Gwyther contributed significantly, finishing 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Moorhead and Rector each scored a run at the top of the lineup.

Santa Fe Indian (8-2) struck for two runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead, but Madrid settled in and largely held the home team in check the rest of the way. The Braves managed just one more run in the fourth inning.

East Mountain also played a clean game defensively behind their ace, committing no errors in the field.

The tournament championship victory pushes East Mountain’s overall record to an impressive 9-1 on the season. The Timberwolves have outscored their opponents heavily (119-35) during their current win streak. Santa Fe Indian drops to 8-2 following the home loss.