Durango pitching leads the way in Adidas Invitational victory

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 1, 1999 | 11:35 a.m.

A five-man pitching rotation may be a necessity in the major leagues. But at the high school level, it's an extremely unusual luxury.

On Monday, Durango's baseball team used that luxury to its fullest advantage, claiming its second Adidas Invitational Tournament win in three years with a 13-3 win over visiting Las Vegas High.

The Trailblazers (16-0) got the job done behind their fifth starter in as many tournament games, senior Eric Kilby. The right-hander picked up where staff mates Jared Bonnell, J.T. Sherman, E.J. Shanks and Brent Johnson left off, scattering six hits in six innings for the win.

"We knew that our pitching depth would be one of our strengths coming into the season," Durango coach Mike Gomez said. "It really helps us in tournaments, and it can only help us in playoff competition."

Kilby set the tone for the game in the first two innings, striking out four batters with a variety of wicked off-speed pitches. The Wildcats (14-5), who unloaded for 23 runs in a semifinal win over Sunnyside (Ariz.) earlier in the day, managed just two hits through the first four innings in the title tilt.

The Durango bats, on the other hand, were far from silent.

After beginning the day with a 12-0 shutout of Cajon (Calif.) in the semifinals, the Trailblazers pounded out 15 hits against Las Vegas, including five for extra bases.

Eric Kitchen got things started in the first inning for the Blazers, crushing a two-run homer -- his fifth of the season -- over the left field wall. The Durango leftfielder finished the day 4-for-6 with two dingers and eight RBIs in his club's two contests.

The tourney hosts opened things up in the fourth, bringing nine batters to the plate in a five-run frame.

Chris Kelly brought home two runs with a triple off the wall, while Sean Havens, James Burgess and Brent Johnson all chipped in with RBI singles.

"They're very confident offensively," Gomez said. "The kids are real confident in what they're doing right now."

Despite the Trailblazers' 16-0 start this season, they still find themselves looking up in the standings at defending Sunset Division champ Bishop Gorman. The Gaels are also undefeated overall (13-0), but their 5-0 league mark is a shade better than Durango's 4-0 mark.

The division race should clear up a bit next week, with the Blazers scheduled to finish a postponed contest against fellow contender Cimarron on Wednesday (the score was tied at four at the end of nine innings) before hosting Gorman on Thursday.

"Next week is pivotal," Gomez said. "It's a big week for our conference, and it will have a big bearing on who wins the conference."

Las Vegas, meanwhile, will return to Sunrise Division play with ever-growing confidence after a 4-1 showing in the tournament.

Under first-year coach Sam Thomas, a longtime assistant under Rodger Fairless at Green Valley, the Wildcats are quickly making last year's 10-13 season a distant memory.