To say victory was a long time coming for the Patagonia High baseball team would be more than a slight understatement.
As the kids might say, it was more like FOREVER: 1,050 days to be precise.
Monday’s 8-5 victory over Baboquivari was the first for the Lobos since May 3, 2021.
“Finally,” coach Ricardo Padilla said. “We got that monkey off our backs.”
And it was all the more remarkable considering that in Patagonia’s previous game, against the same Baboquivari team, the Lobos 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 3 for 3 at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing four bases. Miguel Albarran was on base three times and scored twice.
“They executed on the field yesterday,” coach Padilla said. “That was the best part of it. They made all the plays they needed to make on the defensive side.”
The Lobos’ next three games are at home: Wednesday vs. St. David, Friday vs. Duncan and next Tuesday vs. Valley Union. (All the games start at 3:45pm.) It’s a difficult schedule, but they’re hoping to build on the momentum of Monday’s win. One thing for sure: They’re not satisfied.
“We’ve got more games we can win,” Ruiz said.