Elko Daily Free Press
Anthony Mori
COLEVILLE, California — On March 9, the Wells baseball team improved to 5-2 on the season and 2-0 in league play.
After a 3-2 stint during the Cougar Classic, in Laughlin, the Leopards ran away with high-scoring victories in their 1A North openers on the road against Coleville.
Wells took the first game of the twin bill by a final score of 18-10 and stormed to a 20-8 victory in the second half of the doubleheader.
Game One
The Leopards opened a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and built an 8-1 advantage after the second.
In the third, Wells edged the Wolves 3-2 — both teams going scoreless in the fourth — opening an 11-3 cushion.
Coleville made things interesting with seven runs across the last-three frames — plating two in the fifth, two in the second and three in seventh — but the Leopards kept their collective feet on the gas with one run in the fifth and three each in the sixth and seventh.
At the plate, sophomore Tristen Zimmerman hit 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI.
Sophomore CD Hunt was a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI.
A trio of Wells batters — sophomore Gage Uhlig, junior Cesar Berumen and senior Anton Messna — finished 2-for-4.
Berumen posted a triple, three RBI and two runs.
Uhlig scored a team-high four times and drove in one, and Messna tallied a double and crossed once.
Sophomore Luis Garcia went 2-for-5 and drilled a homer, drove in three runs and scored three of his own.
Senior Sam Peterson was 1-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI — senior Jose Castellanos closing out the hits and finishing 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Without knocks, freshman Charlie Peterson drove in two runs and scored another — sophomore Tegan Calton driving in a run and scoring another.
On the bases, Wells tallied 12 steals — led by three apiece for Garcia and Uhlig and two from Berumen.
On the hill, Berumen got the win and allowed five runs — three earned — on just one hit with 12 strikeouts and four free passes across five innings.
Charlie Peterson picked up the save, giving up five runs on five hits with two Ks and a pair of walks over two frames.
Game Two
In the finale, Wells broke the game open with a 7-2 advantage in the sixth inning — pulling away for a 20-8 victory by the mercy rule — after leading 13-6 by the end the fifth.
Garcia led the offense and went 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBI — Hunt hitting 3-for-4, scoring four runs and driving in one.
Castellanos batted 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, Charlie Peterson was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run and Berumen finished 2-for-5 but went for a triple, a team-high six RBI and one run.
Zimmer closed 1-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, Sam Peterson going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Messna was 1-for-4 with a run, and Uhlig went 1-for-5 with two runs and an RBI.
Without a hit, freshman Colter Runion scored one run.
Wells stole eight bases, led by three for Uhlig and two apiece by Hunt and Garcia.
In the start, Garcia allowed six runs — four earned — on 10 hits with five Ks and a free pass over five innings for the win.
In relief, Uhlig picked up the save and gave up two runs on three hits with a punchout and a walk in one frame.
Up Next
The Leopards (5-2 overall, 2-0 in league) were scheduled to play another league doubleheader on the road against Excel Christian at 10 a.m. Saturday, in Sparks.