Pueblo Azteca baseball reaches 'Bado semifinals for the second straight tourney
BY CHRIS ABDELMALEK | The Pueblo Chieftain | JUN. 26, 2022
With the 'Bado tournament on the line Saturday, the Pueblo Azteca came away with two victories and a spot in the semifinal on Sunday.
This time there were no weather delays in any games at the Artie Escobado Memorial Tournament, and all games were completed.
For host team Pueblo Azteca 18U, Saturday was reminiscent of last week’s tournament at the ‘Nuch. Two games, two wins, and you’re in. It's that simple. Except for the fact that for the first game, they had to face off against the team they lost to in the ‘Nuch finals last week, the Victus Recruits.
With Victus Recruits tied with Bercovich 35 Honors upon the top of the Clementi Division, Azteca needed the head-to-head victory over Victus to get to the semifinals.
Starting pitcher Jace Barger went out to throw a masterful game, completing seven innings and giving up only four hits with no runs in the 1-0 win.
A win in the second game, against Bessemer Baseball, then solidified their position.
The host team came out swinging and were able to put three runs up on Bessemer early in the first inning. They added two more runs in the third inning and in the fourth inning to stretch the lead to 7-1.
Because there was a slight possibility that the records of all three teams, (Bercovich, Victus, and Azteca) could all be tied at the end of the day, run differential was going to play a huge factor.
So rather than sitting back in the seventh inning with a six-run lead, the Azteca were determined to put up more runs, and that’s what they did. Six, in fact. They doubled their score in the final frame and were able to pull off the victory 12-1.
Coach Dylan Gavin was thrilled after the performance his team put up in both games. He spoke about how it all starts with pitching.
“Every baseball game starts with the man on the mound,” Gavin said. “And we performed well, we had a good rhythm and good tempo. Coach Potts has really been working with our pitchers on getting the ball, getting a sign, and delivering the pitch that they see and ... our tempo has been good, and that's helping us carry over to our bats in the dugout.”
There were two keys to winning the games: The Azteca were determined from the start of the day not to lose. And both of their starting pitchers, Barger in the first game and Jake Olguin-Pacheco in the second, went the complete game.
“I'm feeling good,” Pacheco said. “Our team is playing well, so just ready for (Sunday) to go to get it done.”
Pacheco threw a gem of his own in the second game and talked about how it's easy to pitch out there when you have the solid defense playing behind you.
“I just throw strikes and let my defense play,” Pacheco said. “I know I have a solid defense out there making the plays, so as long as I throw it in the zone, we will be fine.”
It helps to have an offense that can put up big numbers, and Caton Lodice had a big game in the second matchup against Bessemer. He finished with 3-4 with four RBIs in the game and finally broke out of the hitting slump that he has been in.
“It's nice to get out of slump finally,” Lodice said. “I’ve been struggling lately, but today I just found the baseball.”
Lodice praised his pitcher's performance, saying it's easy to go out and play defense when they have the kind of pitching they do on the mound. Both he and Pacheco were happy with the day's performance but both know that the job is not finished.
“We need another win like last week,” Lodice said.
The fact that the team has come this far and has not burned out most of its pitching or hitting is crucial.
This will come in huge for the final day of play. The semifinals will be a tough matchup against 4C Prime. 4C and Azteca met last week in the semifinals of the ‘Nuch tournament. It will be an opportunity for the former champs to get some revenge on the upstart Azteca team.
“You know that's a great ball club, you know they're going to be ready, they're going to want to come out and get us,” Gavin said. "We definitely have a big challenge ahead of us whomever we get out of the other side."
Gavin knows they need to just settle in and play Azteca-style baseball in order for them to have a chance of making it to the final game.
“Keep momentum and keep enjoying each other,” Gavin said. “That's what this team is really doing a good job of, is enjoying one another and enjoying the success of their teammates when they do have success in the game, and that's what's really taking us far right now.”
The rest of the action Saturday
Bercovich 35 Honors ended up finishing with the best record in the tournament as they won both of their games, first against Burkburnett and then against CBA Taylor. They ended up as the No. 1 seed in the Clementi Division.
Victus Recruits had their one matchup against Azteca 18U and ended up finishing third in the division. Burkburnett also lost their only matchup of the day against Bercovich and ended up with a tie for fourth in the division.
Bessemer got on the board with a win against CBA Tayor in their final game of the tournament, and tied for fourth. CBA Taylor rounded out the Clementi division in last place and lost both of their games.
In the Williams Division, the 4C Prime had an off day on the final day, losing their first matchup to Cherry Creek, but they bounced back with a win against Azteca 17U to lock the No. 1 seed in the division.
The Colton Nighthawks finished second in the division behind 4C as they defeated Cherry Creek in their final game of the tournament. The Nighthawks will compete in the semifinals against Bercovich.
The rest of the division played itself out, with Cherry Creek finishing in a tie for third with Texas United, and Azteca 17U finishing in last place.
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at
