PV-FHS: The 'What If' Game
I just got off the phone with Farmington coach Don Lorett to fact-check the number of consecutive district championships owned by the Scorpions' baseball team.
The Scorps have three district games left, but barring an upset by Aztec, Kirtland Central or Shiprock, FHS will win their ninth consecutive district title May 1.
FHS needed to beat PV by three or more runs to put themselves in this position, and they won 9-5. But what if Morgan McCasland hit a single with the bases loaded in the first, or Shilo McCall doubled home two runs in the seventh?
It's a silly game to play, I know, because any number of things can happen during a sporting event that can change the outcome for either side. The bottom line is, the Scorps handled business.
But for informational purposes, suppose FHS won 9-7 instead. The head-to-head run differential is the first tiebreaker, and it would've been even (PV beat FHS 6-4 on April 4). According to Farmington athletics director Rocky Moore, the second tiebreaker involves run differential with the third-place district team.
In other words, if PV had lost by two runs, the team with the better combined score against Aztec would be the district champion. The Tigers are the likely third-place team in District 1-4A.
That would've made the final weeks of the season compelling. Farmington beat Aztec 11-1 on Feb. 28, but that game wouldn't count since it wasn't a district contest. Here's the district schedule between the teams:
Apr. 7: Piedra Vista 17, Aztec 5
Apr. 14: Farmington 16, Aztec 4
Saturday: 11 a.m. -- Aztec at Piedra Vista
May 1: 7 p.m. -- Aztec at Farmington
The run differential in those final two games would've determined the district winner. Would anyone else have felt bad for the Tigers?
Scorps hit McCasland: PV pitcher Jake McCasland gave up nine runs to the Scorps on Tuesday in his worst outing of the year.
Granted, the Panthers committed five errors and left eight runners stranded, but PV will have a tough time advancing deep into the state tournament with that output from its stud.
It came down to McCasland's fastball: his velocity may have tailed off a bit and the Scorps hit it hard.
In case you missed it in my gamer, here's what McCasland had to say:
"They did well hitting me. I didn't have my best stuff, but I've got to learn from it. You can't pitch well every time."
McCasland was understandably upset after the game and was the last PV player to leave the field at Ricketts Park. He went on to say, "Nothing's really going to cheer me up right now. Pretty rough game."
Lorett said he was disappointed with his team's hitting in the 6-4 loss to PV earlier in the season. He went on to say that the team's faced tough pitching this year, particularly in the Phoenix tournament, and felt confident "in the back of (their) minds" they could hit a guy that throws as hard as McCasland, but this proved it to them.
"We just didn't quite hit the ball on the button (in the earlier loss)," Lorett said. "We were real patient and we swung at strikes, we just didn't have a big inning at all."
This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if McCasland's fastball has been dominant to the point that he relies on it too often. I've seen him strike out the side on nine pitches twice this year, basically raring back and daring the batters to catch up to it. He has a changeup and a curve, which is also a plus pitch for him. If his fastball isn't as effective, he needs to mix in those pitches more often, but he hasn't had to do that much this season. Perhaps that played a factor in Tuesday's game.
But there's little doubt the fastball sets up everything for McCasland and serves as a central hub for his outings.
The guy has been close to a superhero for the Panthers, including a one-hit shutout over KC in his last start. I'd expect him to bounce back fine.
One last take on McCasland from Farmington's Nick Clayton:
"We've already seen him once, so we knew what would happen. We tried to jump on the fastball, because that's really his pitch. If he can blow it by you, he's got two other pitches that are really good, too."
The two lines for the pitchers:
McCasland -- 3 2-3 innings, 9 runs, 5 Ks, 3 BB, 8 hits, 100 pitches
Clayton -- 6 1-3 innings, 5 runs, 7 Ks, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 7 hits, 120 pitches
Again, both pitchers gave up some unearned runs.
Tidbits: PV loaded the bases twice with less than two outs and didn't score a run ... FHS turned three inning-ending double plays ... FHS would claim its 33rd district championship in school history with three wins to close the season .... Eli Freese and Niles Taylor pitched a combined three scoreless innings in relief for the two teams ... Over 800 young baseball players paraded across the field before the game, part of their season-opening ceremony.
Quotes from PV coach Dick Laughlin: "The tone of the game got set right there in the first inning. When they got their runners in scoring position they got them in. They took care of business more than we did." -- on PV's missed opportunities
"We didn't give up. We fought right up to the end and I'm proud of our boys for that. This group of kids, they do not give up. I had hope right up to the last out." -- on PV's near seventh-inning rally
"(The program) is going in the right direction. We've got a good young club right now, and we're not done yet by any means this year." -- on any positives he can find through the disappointment
It was a gorgeous day at Ricketts Park. Makes me wish I could've been outside.
That's all for tonight. What were your thoughts on the game?
The Scorps have three district games left, but barring an upset by Aztec, Kirtland Central or Shiprock, FHS will win their ninth consecutive district title May 1.
FHS needed to beat PV by three or more runs to put themselves in this position, and they won 9-5. But what if Morgan McCasland hit a single with the bases loaded in the first, or Shilo McCall doubled home two runs in the seventh?
It's a silly game to play, I know, because any number of things can happen during a sporting event that can change the outcome for either side. The bottom line is, the Scorps handled business.
But for informational purposes, suppose FHS won 9-7 instead. The head-to-head run differential is the first tiebreaker, and it would've been even (PV beat FHS 6-4 on April 4). According to Farmington athletics director Rocky Moore, the second tiebreaker involves run differential with the third-place district team.
In other words, if PV had lost by two runs, the team with the better combined score against Aztec would be the district champion. The Tigers are the likely third-place team in District 1-4A.
That would've made the final weeks of the season compelling. Farmington beat Aztec 11-1 on Feb. 28, but that game wouldn't count since it wasn't a district contest. Here's the district schedule between the teams:
Apr. 7: Piedra Vista 17, Aztec 5
Apr. 14: Farmington 16, Aztec 4
Saturday: 11 a.m. -- Aztec at Piedra Vista
May 1: 7 p.m. -- Aztec at Farmington
The run differential in those final two games would've determined the district winner. Would anyone else have felt bad for the Tigers?
Scorps hit McCasland: PV pitcher Jake McCasland gave up nine runs to the Scorps on Tuesday in his worst outing of the year.
Granted, the Panthers committed five errors and left eight runners stranded, but PV will have a tough time advancing deep into the state tournament with that output from its stud.
It came down to McCasland's fastball: his velocity may have tailed off a bit and the Scorps hit it hard.
In case you missed it in my gamer, here's what McCasland had to say:
"They did well hitting me. I didn't have my best stuff, but I've got to learn from it. You can't pitch well every time."
McCasland was understandably upset after the game and was the last PV player to leave the field at Ricketts Park. He went on to say, "Nothing's really going to cheer me up right now. Pretty rough game."
Lorett said he was disappointed with his team's hitting in the 6-4 loss to PV earlier in the season. He went on to say that the team's faced tough pitching this year, particularly in the Phoenix tournament, and felt confident "in the back of (their) minds" they could hit a guy that throws as hard as McCasland, but this proved it to them.
"We just didn't quite hit the ball on the button (in the earlier loss)," Lorett said. "We were real patient and we swung at strikes, we just didn't have a big inning at all."
This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if McCasland's fastball has been dominant to the point that he relies on it too often. I've seen him strike out the side on nine pitches twice this year, basically raring back and daring the batters to catch up to it. He has a changeup and a curve, which is also a plus pitch for him. If his fastball isn't as effective, he needs to mix in those pitches more often, but he hasn't had to do that much this season. Perhaps that played a factor in Tuesday's game.
But there's little doubt the fastball sets up everything for McCasland and serves as a central hub for his outings.
The guy has been close to a superhero for the Panthers, including a one-hit shutout over KC in his last start. I'd expect him to bounce back fine.
One last take on McCasland from Farmington's Nick Clayton:
"We've already seen him once, so we knew what would happen. We tried to jump on the fastball, because that's really his pitch. If he can blow it by you, he's got two other pitches that are really good, too."
The two lines for the pitchers:
McCasland -- 3 2-3 innings, 9 runs, 5 Ks, 3 BB, 8 hits, 100 pitches
Clayton -- 6 1-3 innings, 5 runs, 7 Ks, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 7 hits, 120 pitches
Again, both pitchers gave up some unearned runs.
Tidbits: PV loaded the bases twice with less than two outs and didn't score a run ... FHS turned three inning-ending double plays ... FHS would claim its 33rd district championship in school history with three wins to close the season .... Eli Freese and Niles Taylor pitched a combined three scoreless innings in relief for the two teams ... Over 800 young baseball players paraded across the field before the game, part of their season-opening ceremony.
Quotes from PV coach Dick Laughlin: "The tone of the game got set right there in the first inning. When they got their runners in scoring position they got them in. They took care of business more than we did." -- on PV's missed opportunities
"We didn't give up. We fought right up to the end and I'm proud of our boys for that. This group of kids, they do not give up. I had hope right up to the last out." -- on PV's near seventh-inning rally
"(The program) is going in the right direction. We've got a good young club right now, and we're not done yet by any means this year." -- on any positives he can find through the disappointment
It was a gorgeous day at Ricketts Park. Makes me wish I could've been outside.
That's all for tonight. What were your thoughts on the game?
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