Cats post sweep over Hobbs

The Clovis High baseball team finished off its summer program on Saturday with a 9-5, 5-2 sweep of Hobbs at Bell Park.

The Wildcats (10-7-1) broke open a 5-5 game in the opener with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, then blanked the Eagles until the seventh inning in the nightcap.

Assistant coach Shane Leatherwood said the Cats did a little experimenting with positions during the summer campaign, trying to see what the best fits might be come spring.

“We’ve got a lot of speed and athletic ability coming back,” said Leatherwood, who is a candidate to take over the head coaching position with coach Shane Shallenberger having accepted a position at Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho. “We’re trying to find the best nine players on the field and have a DH (designated hitter), too.”

After Clovis scored three times in the first for a 3-1 lead, the Eagles rallied for three in the top of the fifth to move in front. Hobbs scored again in the sixth to tie it, but Jake Burrell’s two-run double keyed the Cats’ explosion in the bottom half.

Left-hander Brandon Gilliard allowed four runs — one earned — on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings. Lane Drake finished for the win, giving up four hits and a run over 2 1/3 innings.

Emery Sierra went 3-for-4 and scored a run for Clovis, which had 10 hits. Burrell finished 2-for-3 with a twlk and two runs scored , while Parker Wood was 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI.

In the second game, left-hander Steven Encinias worked five shutout innings for the win, allowing four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Wood pitched the final two frames.

“Steven threw really well,” Leatherwood said. “We had to fix his mechanics (recently), and in the last two starts he’s thrown really well.”

Clovis scored twice each in the second and third innings, and tacked on its final run in the fourth. Johnny Garcia and Sebastian Flores each went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Burrell went 2-for-3.