Lamar Savages Weekly Sports Report, March 31, 2014

It’s spring and the sports slate is fully underway in Lamar and most of the teams have met with great success. The Savage baseball squad has won five of its first six contests, and the track and field teams, both boys and girls, have won their first two meets in dominating fashion. Only the girls soccer team has struggled to find the victory column, but that group has shown improvement in the first two weeks of its schedule.

The soccer team lost its first two games of the season to Dolores Huerta Prep and Florence by 10-0 counts. Since then, the Lady Savages have sandwiched a pair of 4-0 losses to Rye and DHP around a 6-1 defeat by Trinidad. Things look to get a bit tougher for Lamar, as the next two contests will be against ranked opponents. Lamar hosts #4 St. Mary’s on Saturday and #10 Fountain Valley on next Tuesday.

Lamar’s baseball team, ranked #3 in Class 3A in last week’s CHSAANow.com poll, got its first taste of defeat last Monday, when the Savages dropped a 7-6 decision to Pueblo South on the road. It was the second straight close game for the Savages at Runyon Field, as they had claimed a 9-6 win over Pueblo Central on that field back on March 21.

In the loss to South, the Savages fought back from a 4-2 deficit after two innings to take a 6-4 lead in the fifth. The Colts answered Lamar’s four runs in the top of the frame with two of their own in the bottom of the sixth inning to send the game to the seventh knotted at six. The Savages went down without scoring in the top of the seventh, and the Colts pushed the game-winner across in the bottom half of the frame.

The Savages didn’t stay down for very long, as they bounced back with a road sweep of Trinidad on Saturday. Lamar needed to rally late for a 7-1 victory in the opener, pushing three across the plate in the sixth and four more in the seventh. There was no drama in game two, as the Savages kept the offense rolling, scoring two in the top of the first. Things went dry for a spell, as Lamar only managed a single run over the next three innings, sending the game to the top of the fifth with the Savages up 3-1. They erupted with four in the fifth, three in the sixth and five in the seventh to earn the 15-3 victory.

Lamar will be in Alamosa on Tuesday for two with the Mean Moose in non-league play. The Savages return to Merchant’s Park on Saturday for a twin bill with St. Mary’s. The Pirates play their first Tri-Peaks East game on Wednesday against Ellicott. Lamar is tied with La Junta atop the league standings at 2-0.

As for the thinclads, the boys won their invitational meet back on March 22, destroying the field with a victorious total of 167 points. Trinidad finished second with 45 points. Josh Davis was strong in the distance races, winning the 800 and 3200 meter runs, and finishing second in the 1600 meter. Davis won both the 1600 and 3200 meter runs at the La Junta Open last Thursday, and the team won the meet with 129 points. Gunnison finished second with 88.

The Lady Savages also won both meets, taking their own invitational with a total of 129 points, besting Hoehne, who finishing with 83. Lamar won all three sprints, and also took first in the shot (Courtney Clark) and discus (Summer Eberhardt). Clark also won the shot at the La Junta Open and took third in the discus. Eberhardt was second in the discus, helping the Lady Savages run away with the team event. Lamar tallied 135 points, with Crowley County and Alamosa tying for a distant second at 77 points each.

Lamar’s varsity tracksters will compete in the Hornet Invite on Saturday at Pueblo County, while the junior varsity will get some work in at the Warren Mitchell Invitational at Limon.

By Kerry Sherman 

Colorado high schools for Colorado Preps. Kerry is in his third year of streaming high school sports online for Colorado Preps, and this is his 23rd year of covering high schools for various print and online outlets throughout Colorado. He also has nine years of coaching experience, with the boys basketball programs at Woodlin and Otis.