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  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)
  • The 'Bado Tournament (photos courtesy The Pueblo Chieftain)

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Pueblo Azteca loses in walkoff as 'Artie Escobado Memorial Tournament starts with a bang

BY CHRIS ABDELMALEK | The Pueblo Chieftain | JUN. 24, 2022

The first round of the Artie Escobado Memorial Tournament was played Thursday evening and the day went off with a ‘Bado bang.

The home teams from Pueblo both lost their opening-round matchups against California-based teams, but by vastly different margins.

The Azteca 17U team lost its first game 14-2 to the No.3-ranked team in the nation, the Colton Nighthawks, while the Azteca 18U team lost its first game in a nail-biter that ended with a final score of 12-11 in six innings.

Azteca 18U lost on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the sixth after the game was called early due to time constraints following a weather delay.

Azteca 17U loses game, gains experience
It was evident from the start of the game that the young, but talented Azteca 17U team would be outmatched by the more experienced Nighthawks, as their pitching staff was throwing heaters close to 90 mph.

The Azteca 17U team had trouble keeping up with the fastball and was unable to string together multiple hits in the same inning.

Azteca also struggled with pitching, as Nighthawks batters picked apart Azteca pitchers. Even an hour-long lightning delay didn’t slow the Nighrhawks' bats and the team from California steamrolled the Pueblo team 14-2.

Azteca 17U coach Dallas Davis spoke after the game about the difficult matchup and said his team will have to get used to facing elite talent during the tournament.

“As a whole, I think our team did amazing, but we’ve just got to have more timely hits,” Davis said. “That's what it came down to, but I'm proud of my boys for what they did and what they went up against and they didn't shy away.”

Roy Higinbotham gets the out at first base during the Pueblo Azteca 17-and-under team's game against the Colton Nighthawks at the Artie Escobado Memorial Tournament on Thursday, June 23, 2022.

Azteca 18U game comes down to the wire
The Azteca 18U team saw significantly more success in its matchup against Bercovich 35 Honors. The game was delayed due to weather, which meant it didn’t start until nearly two hours after its scheduled time, leading to a shortened game.

Starting pitcher Cade Bleeker took the mound for the Azteca team and struggled, giving up seven runs in the first inning. But Azteca responded in the top of the second inning, scoring seven runs of their own to tie the game.

The score went back and forth from there: Bercovich tacked on two more runs in the second to regain the lead; in the top of the fifth, Azteca took the lead back 11-9.

Then, in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded, Azteca made a pitching change and brought in Braxton Vail, who came into the game with one out and got his team out of a jam.

“My mindset is I just need to get that batter out,” Vail said of coming in to pitch in a high-pressure situation. “I just need to focus on that batter and I can't worry about the runners or else I'll start over thinking.”

In the middle of the sixth inning, with the home team down two runs, the umpire announced the game would end in the sixth as opposed to the seventh due to time constraints, which put pressure on Azteca to close the game out.

Vail was still on the mound and got the inning’s first out, but Bercovich loaded the bases.

Due to a pitching count rule, Vail was pulled in the sixth with the bases loaded and a one-run lead, at which point pitcher Mike Casillas came in and gave up a walk and a base hit, sending two runners home and ending the game in a 12-11 Bercovich win.

Azteca Coach Dylan Gavin said after the game it was a tough way to lose, but noted he was proud of the way his team played.

“We battled, they got some good arms on that end there and a deep squad,” Gavin said. “We stayed in there. We didn't get down on ourselves. We kept momentum when we got momentum and we kind of carried that through the middle innings which gave us a chance to win at the end.

“It didn't end up how we would’ve liked it but I'm very proud of the effort from the boys today.”

 Despite the loss, Vail said it is “great experience” facing some of the high-quality athletes playing in this year’s tournament.

“I get to see different arms. We saw higher 80s (pitches) today and then we'll see a good arm (Friday), so it's good for next year because I'm going to be a senior,” Vail said. “So I'll be able to pick up different things throughout the year.”

Gavin said he knows Thursday’s game just the beginning for his team in facing tough competition, as the tournament is loaded with talent.

“From top to bottom, the entire tournament has good teams, so you're going to have to square up every single night and kind of see what you have,” Gavin said.

The rest of the Day 1 action
Only two other games were played on the first day of the tournament. Victus Recruits, the 2022 Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament winners, faced off against Burkburnett and won their game 13-1.

In the penultimate game of day, Texas United faced off against Cherry Creek. The young squad from Colorado was no match for the team from Texas as United won 9-1.

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Twitter @chowebacca.

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