Shanks whiffs 12 for Blazers

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, April 19, 2000 | 9:47 a.m.

It's not often that a defending champion can be branded as a dark horse the year after claiming its title.

Yet with so much attention on Henderson-area schools Silverado, Green Valley and Basic this spring, it's easy to overlook 1999 4A state baseball champion Durango.

By their own admission, the Trailblazers are a far cry from their title team of a year ago. But, as the postseason approaches, the defending champs have enough pitching to be as dangerous as any team in town.

That was never more apparent than on Tuesday, when senior E.J. Shanks struck out 12 batters and allowed only five hits in a 15-1 Durango victory over Arizona's Tucson High in the Blazers' adidas Invitational Tournament.

Shanks, the winning pitcher in last year's state title contest, struck out at least two batters in all five innings, fanning the side in the second, third and fifth.

"Our pitchers have been dominant," Durango coach Mike Gomez said. "Our ERA is around 1.60 and we've thrown seven shutouts."

Even more positive than Shanks' performance was the Trailblazers' offense, which exploded for 11 first-inning runs and 14 hits.

"We feel we have a good offensive club," Gomez said. "We just haven't clicked on all cylinders. We strike out a lot with men on base when we have chances to blow games open."

Durango (19-5) has also struggled to put its best lineup on the field this season, with a rash of injuries prompting Gomez to nickname his club the "M*A*S*H unit." On Tuesday, starting catcher Danny Kahr sat out with a sprained knee, forcing several teammates to play out of position.

Nevertheless, the Trailblazers didn't miss a beat at the plate. Senior holdovers Chris Kelly (2-for-3, home run, three RBIs, three runs) and Brandon Perry (3-for-3, 3 RBIs, three runs) keyed the attack, and got considerable help from first-year starters Frank Spenia (2-for-2, two runs) and Coltyn Simmons (grand slam).

With one week remaining in the regular season, Durango sits atop the Southwest Division with a 5-1 league record. And with Shanks (4-2), senior Brent Johnson (5-1) and sophomore Jeff Jacobsen (5-0) forming the core of a solid rotation, the Blazers will be among the favorites to claim the Sunset Region's state berth next month. "It will come down to whoever can get the clutch hits," Gomez said.