Pintos Power Past Espanola Valley 10-0

MORIARTY — The Moriarty Pintos sent a loud message to the rest of District 2-4A on Wednesday, opening league play with a dominant 10-0 shutout victory over Espanola Valley.

The Pintos needed only five innings to secure the “mercy rule” win, combining a nearly flawless pitching performance with a relentless extra-base hit parade. For head coach Ben Gonzales, the victory was the result of a team finally seeing their preparation translate to the diamond.

“Opening district play with a win like this is exactly what we talked about in the dugout,” said Gonzales. “We wanted to set a standard for how we’re going to play the rest of the way. Our guys were locked in from the first pitch, and it showed in every phase of the game.”

Dominance on the Mound

The story of the district opener began on the rubber. Sophomore Scott Batie was perfect through three innings, facing the minimum nine batters and striking out four.

“Scott was surgical today,” Gonzales said of his starter. “When your pitcher comes out and gives you three perfect frames to start a conference schedule, it takes a massive weight off the hitters’ shoulders. He dictated the tempo of the entire game.”

Senior Nick Kamplain took over in the fourth inning to preserve the shutout. While the Sundevils managed three hits, Kamplain struck out three and walked none to seal the win.

Power at the Plate

Moriarty’s offense was firing on all cylinders, racking up eight hits—five of which went for extra bases.

• Cash Klein (So.): Went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
• Micah Kamplain (So.): Drove in a team-high three runs with a double and a triple.
• Trey Denomme (So.): Finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
• Mario Romero (Jr.): Added a triple and an RBI.

“We’ve been working on driving the ball into the gaps, and seeing five extra-base hits today was huge,” Gonzales noted. “Cash’s home run really gave us that ‘knockout’ energy, but I was just as proud of the discipline we showed up and down the lineup.”

Game Flow

The Pintos wasted no time, plating three runs in the first inning. They exploded for four runs in the third and three more in the fourth, while the defense remained error-free behind their pitching staff.

The win moves Moriarty to 1-0 in District 2-4A play. The roster contributing to the victory includes: Cooper Schnerch, Raiden Scribner, Scott Batie, Rylan Thackerson, Nick Kamplain, Micah Kamplain, Mario Romero, Landon Lents, Royce Dennisson, Cash Klein, Oscar Shuck, Tyler Denomme, Wesley Francis, Trey Denomme.

“It’s a great start, but we know this district is a gauntlet,” Gonzales said. “We’ll enjoy this tonight, but we’re back to work tomorrow.”

---

Linescore Espanola Valley: 0 (3 hits, 3 errors) Moriarty: 10 (9 hits, 0 errors) Game ended in the 5th inning (10-run rule).