A relatively inexperienced Los Alamitos Middle School baseball team completed their second spring season on April 30 with a double-header outing versus Mountain View. The twinbill took place on the Grants High School home field – a gorgeous Astro-turf site which players from both teams thoroughly enjoyed playing on.
The home team Buccaneers lost the contests, with the first game beginning at about 3 p.m. on a beautiful, sun-splashed spring afternoon, by scores of 13-4 and 10-6, concluding the Bucs’ season at 5-15.
Los Alamitos head coach Charles Lundstrom, in his first year at the helm of the Buccaneers, understood from the start of the two-monthplus spring season that he and his coaching staff – made up of assistants Miguel Montoya and Rich Sanders – would have to teach fundamentals of the game to a mostly baseball-inexperienced team. Many of the team’s players were new to the game so Lundstrom focused on teaching baseball `skill sets’ to his players. He and his staff taught the players proven bat swinging technique, how to get down and in front of groundballs, and how to approach fly balls in the outfield - properly making the catch and throwing accurately to a cutoff man in the infield. Catchers learned to keep their bodies in front of pitched balls when pitchers weren’t quite on target. Pitchers, meanwhile, learned warmup techniques through bullpen sessions at practices and solid, traditional pitching form in going through their windups and releasing the ball. They also were taught to keep baserunners close to the bag. The Bucs also learned to run the base paths better and understand game situations – like where an infielder should throw the ball in given situations.
The coaches taught and players did their best to grasp the fundamentals. While the Los Alamitos players showed some improvement in all these areas as the season moved on, many players, as a result of inexperience, were still far behind in the fundamentals of the game because of their lack of game experience over the years.
For the most part, the Los Alamitos team played hard throughout the course of the season and had good camaraderie as a club.
Throughout the season, the Bucs would practice almost daily following school at Candelaria Park, the nifty baseball/softball complex off Roosevelt Ave. Practices usually ran close to 90 minutes. Games were played about weekly.
THE SEASON BEGAN FEB. 28 with a pair of games – both wins – at Santo Domingo – the scores 11-4 and 12-5. But the team’s fast start was not indicative of what was ahead for the Bucs as double-header road losses to both Eagle Ridge on March 1 and Lincoln on March 7 put the team at 2-4. Next, Los Alamitos traveled to Los Lunas, losing both but giving the home team a battle in a 4-2 first game loss.
That was followed by two losses at Edgewood before the Bucs, finally, got to play their first games at home versus visiting Albuquerque Academy on April 12. This set of two proved to be a breakthrough day for the home team Buccaneers as they defeated the guests at Candelaria, 12-11 and 11-2, giving them their third and fourth wins of the season. Bucs’ catcher Colin Lundstrom had a big game in the 12-11 win with two hits, including a triple, with two RBI’s and two runs scored from his No. 3 position in the lineup. Andres Montoya, Los Alamitos’ cleanup hitter and first baseman, also had a pair of hits with two RBI’s and a stolen base. Montoya also earned the decision in a strong relief pitching outing. The game was tied in the final inning when a high fly double into left field off the bat of Juan Carlos Delgado, plated Patrick Gallegos, who had reached on an error, with the winning run – much to the delight of the partisan home crowd. In the second game versus Academy on that sunny day, the Bucs came through again with a lopsided 11-2 victory. Solid games came from catcher Derrick Rose (single, walk, 2 runs); Marcus Rose (single, walk, 2 runs); Kyle Chavez (single, run, steal); lefthanded hitting Lundstrom (walk, run scored); Montoya (2 walks, 2 runs); Keanu Zepeda (2 walks, 2 steals, 1 run); Michael Lorenzo (walk, steal, run); and Kenneth Cheromiah (RBI single, walk, 4 steals, 2 runs). Montoya was the starting and winning pitcher for Los Alamitos.
On April 18, the locals lost a road double-hitter at Rio Rancho. But at Moriarty on April 22, the Bucs rebounded from a first game loss by winning the second game, 12-5 – the fifth win of the season for the Bucs!
Colin Lundstrom collected three hits in the win, including two doubles and five RBI’s. He also stole a base. Julian Fernandez, a third baseman, coaxed three walks and scored three times, while Kaldin Martine singled, walked, and scored twice. Montoya walked twice and scored twice with an RBI groundout and Evan Poncho, the Bucs’ centerfielder, singled, walked, and scored a run. Chavez had an RBI single. Fernandez earned the win on the mound as the starter for Los Alamitos.
Next, Los Alamitos competed in the prestigious Rio Rancho Tournament at Rio Rancho High School April 25-27. The first rate facilities at Rio Rancho gave the tournament a big time feel. Unfortunately, Los Alamitos, which struggled defensively throughout the season, lost games to Mountain View, Los Lunas, and Belen.
But there were some highlights for the Bucs at the eight-team tournament, which consisted of some of the best middle school baseball competition in the state, as Damian Jaramillo roped a triple down the left field line in one game and Fernandez, at third, made one of the season’s better defensive plays where he successfully fielded a scorching short hop ground ball and threw to first for the out.
The season concluded when Mountain View traveled to Grants to play two games against the Bucs. As stated earlier, the teams played on the Grants High varsity turf field on a sunny day. Mountain View won both.
Los Alamitos jumped out 6-0 in the first game, but the guests rallied to win. A highlight for the Bucs, in the second game, was an outstanding outfield catch by left fielder Kody Vernon. On a long fly ball, he stepped in a step or two before realizing the ball was going further than he thought. He backed up, reached up and caught the ball, bringing cheers from the crowd and happy gasps from his teammates and coaches. Vernon had a base hit in the game as well. Another fan-favorite moment was when lefty first baseman Myles Maxwell entered the second game to pitch in the latter innings.
To sum the season up, the Bucs learned a lot more about baseball. Individually, they will have to determine if they want to continue in the sport in order to get better by playing this summer. The team had some good moments in the five wins. All in all, the Bucs were a closeknit group that enjoyed the bus trips to road games as well as the gathering at food establishments following those road games. There, the players had a blast enjoying the food and the companionship of their teammates. Often, the Los Alamitos girls’ softball team would join the baseball squad for these road trips and postgame eateries.
Many thanks to Los Alamitos Vice-Principal/Athletic Director Dan Garcia and the rest of the Bucs’ administrative staff for their support of the baseball team. Also, the Bucs are grateful for the support they received from all of their fans.
Los Alamitos team members are: Andres Montoya, Colin Lundstrom, Damian Jaramillo, Derrick Rose, Evan Poncho, Gabriel Graham, Juan Carlos Delgado, Julian Fernandez, Kaldin Martine, Keanu Zepeda, Kenneth Cheromiah, Kody Vernon, Myles Palacio Maxwell, Patrick Gallegos, Brayden Grover, Marcus Rose, Michael Lorenzo, Kyle Chavez, and James Montoya.