San Juan baseball team rides four-game win streak to eight wins, three losses on season

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It had been 11 days since the San Juan High School baseball team was last on the diamond for anything other than practice when they traveled to Salina on Wednesday, March 26 to play a 2A East doubleheader against North Sevier.
The Broncos entered the week with a 5-3 overall record and a 1-0 record in region play and were looking to build some momentum after their win over American Leadership Academy on March 15.
They wasted no time in doing that as they plated the first run against the Wolves in the second inning of game one when Jake Ivins hit a double to drive in Corbin Middleton.
They increased their lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth when Middleton smoked his first home run of the season over the right field fence and Brody Bilbao scored on a Jaiten Knight single.
The Broncos kept the train rolling in the fifth, scoring a run on a hit by Middleton, one on a wild pitch, and another run in the sixth on a North Sevier fielding error.
But San Juan did most of their damage in the top of the seventh when Remy Whatcott came off the bench to the plate for the first time and promptly hit a bases-clearing, three-run double to balloon the lead to 9-0.
Whatcott eventually scored on a Branten Bethea single, then two more runs came across on hits by Cooper Palmer and Corbin Middleton to make the score 12-0 in favor of the Broncos.
The Wolves mustered one run in the bottom of the seventh to spoil the shutout, but San Juan was still very satisfied with a convincing 12-1 win.
Middleton led the way in game one with three hits in four at bats including the homer, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Jake Ivins also had three hits (all doubles), one RBI, and one run scored in the game.
Cooper Palmer had two hits, one RBI, and two runs scored. Remy Whatcott was a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBIs, while Jaiten Knight and Branten Bethea got one hit and one RBI apiece in the win.
The Broncos stole seven bases in game one, with Knight and Bethea tallying two each and Bilbao, Young, and Middleton one apiece.
Jake Ivins got the win on the mound, hurling a very impressive six innings of three-hit ball, allowing no runs and striking out three. Bilbao pitched the seventh inning, allowing one run on one hit.
San Juan picked up right where they left off in game two, smothering the Wolves with seven runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead.
They added another run in the second inning to make the score 8-0 before North Sevier got on the board with a couple runs in the top of the third.
But the Broncos poured it on again in the bottom of the third with seven more runners coming across the plate to increase the lead to 15-2. The highlight of the inning was a three-run double by Cash Palmer.
A Talon Mendoza double in the fourth drove in Bethea and the San Juan defense held the Wolves scoreless in the fourth and fifth to sweep the doubleheader 16-2.
The Broncos were dominant again, allowing just two runs on two hits while smashing 14 hits of their own. Middleton and Bethea shared the pitching duties with Middleton earning the win.
Middleton allowed two hits and two runs in three innings of work while striking out five North Sevier batters. Bethea didn’t allow a hit and struck out three in two innings.
Cooper Palmer was a perfect 3-for-3 in game two with a triple, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Cash Palmer was 2-for-3 with a double and drove in three Bronco runs.
Nache Young and Corbin Middleton were both perfect at the plate and drove in two runs apiece; Middleton was 2-for-2 and Young was 1-for-1.
Talon Mendoza was 2-for-3 with a double and one RBI. Branten Bethea clubbed two hits, while Jake Ivins and Brody Bilbao both got one apiece.
On Friday, March 28 San Juan returned home to beat the rival Monticello Buckaroos 10-0 in five innings. Middleton hit his second homer of the season in the win and was 2-for-3 at the plate.
Jaiten Knight earned his third win of the season on the mound with a three-hit shutout. For in-depth coverage of that game, see the Monticello baseball story by Jackson Keyes on page B2.
After the first month of the season the Broncos are 8-3 overall and 3-0 in 2A East region play. They’re second behind Gunnison Valley, who are 9-5 overall and 5-0 in the region.
San Juan played Grand County in Moab on Tuesday, April 1 after the San Juan Record press deadline. They’ll face Kirtland Central, NM in a two-game Battle Between the Broncos this Friday, April 4 in Kirtland.
A rematch against Grand County is set for Tuesday, April 8 in Blanding with a showdown against region-leading Gunnison Valley coming up on Friday, April 11.