Long ball leads to Coyotes’ loss
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune Christian Chavira knocks in a run with a single during Madera’s Div. II playoff loss to Hanford on Tuesday.
The Madera Coyotes baseball team was upended at Mel Parker Field 11-2, after the Hanford Bullpups relied on the long ball to bounce the Coyotes out of the Div. II playoffs.
Although Caleb Pursell, Christian Chavira and Nick Martinez combined for seven hits, the Coyotes were unable to make their chances count.
The first inning of the Coyotes’ playoff matchup went sour after giving up two runs to the first three batters.
Pitcher Nate Encinas allowed a one-out bomb over the right field wall, giving the 11th-seeded Bullpups an important 2-0 lead over the sixth-seeded Coyotes.
The Coyotes bounced back in the bottom of the frame after Chavira, Martinez and Adam Medellin all reached base.
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, Tony Noriega lined out to short, which led to a double play after Martinez was caught off second base.
The Bullpups continued their early dominance after an error allowed a run to score. The error was followed by a three-run homer over the right field wall, silencing the home crowd.
The Bullpups scored four runs on one hit in the inning, extending the lead 6-0.
In the bottom of the third inning, the Coyotes scored courtesy of Caleb Pursell who raced around third for the score.
The Coyotes come back attempt would be futile after a two-run double in the fourth inning helped lead the Bullpups to five more runs for the first-round upset.
