One victory does not a season make, but for the Patagonia High baseball team, it definitely made it a lot more enjoyable.
Patagonia’s 8-5 win over Baboquivari on March 14 ended a victory drought of nearly three years for the Lobos. It was their first win since May 3, 2021—a span of 1,050 days.
“Finally,” coach Ricardo Padilla said. “We got that monkey off our backs.”
And it was all the more remarkable considering that in the Lobos’ previous game, against the same Baboquivari team, they had suffered a 17-3 loss.
“It was amazing,” said senior Isaiah Ruiz, who played through 15 winless games last season and another three to start the 2024 campaign. “I always keep positive, no matter what we do. If you have good energy, you play better.”
Junior Johnny Fields pitched six strong innings, giving up three earned runs and striking out six, and freshman Kannon Shore closed it out in the final inning.
Arturo Magallanes led the offense, going three for three at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing four bases. Miguel Albarran was on base three times and scored twice.
There remains plenty of room for improvement. The Lobos are young, inexperienced and often short-handed, and the coaching staff is still working with them on defensive fundamentals. But for one day at least, the work paid off. “That was the best part of it,” Padilla said. “They made all the plays they needed to make on the defensive side.”
The Lobos entered April with a 1-7 record, with eight games left to play. Just two remain at home: April 12 vs. San Manuel and April 17 vs. Desert Christian. Some positive energy from that first victory would go a long way to making the season even more enjoyable.
“We’ve got more games we can win,” Ruiz said.