Steers’ diamond drought done

ALBUQUERQUE – Greeted by a line of cars in Socorro, the Magdalena baseball team just may have experienced the longest championship parade in history.

Winding the 28 miles along NM 60, the trail of vehicles followed the team bus as it brought the triumphant Steers back home, where they were greeted by still more revelers.

“We had a bunch of cars parked through Socorro and they were out, clapping and cheering for us,” said junior pitcher Josiah Candelaria. “Then when we got to Magdalena, the whole rest of the town was there. Parents of kids who played, all the kids, they were there on the side of the road. It was neat. It was great. It was nice, for sure.”

Perhaps because baseball championships have been pretty hard to come by hereabouts.

“It’s something that has been our goal for a really long time,” coach Kyl Candelaria said. “I started coaching these boys when they were five years old, before I was the coach of the high school. I ended up landing a job at the high school just as these boys were coming into high school and that’s been our goal since they were in tee ball.”

As a matter of fact, it’s been 35 years since Magdalena even played in the championship, winning the program’s only New Mexico state championship with a 6-5 victory over Hot Springs.

Until now.

Using late inning rallies in both of their playoff games, the top-seeded Steers (20-3) beat No. 5 Grady 6-5 in walk-off fashion in the semifinals, then used a four-run surge in the bottom of the sixth to put away No. 2 Gateway Christian 7-3.

“It was 35 years in the making,” Candelaria’s dad, head coach Kyl Candelaria. “It’s awesome. Not only to bring a championship but to bring a championship to the school where I played from 1997 to 2001. It’s cool to be a player for the school and be a coach and bring home a championship. It puts baseball back on the map here.”

That map construction began May 15 with a tense affair against the Broncos, a District 2-1A rival that Magdalena had destroyed 37-2 in three district games.

But with a two-week layoff as the top seed, the Steers struggled.

“We expected it,” coach Candelaria said the struggles. “The last conversation I had with the boys, we knew we were going to get a bye to Albuquerque. As coaching staff, we wanted to make two things clear to the boys: a two-week break is tough because baseball is a game of momentum. And two weeks with no live action can kill momentum. And, they (the Broncos) were there for a reason. Everybody is 0-0 when you get there. You have to go out and prepare for seven innings and prepare for a battle.”

A battle royale.

Through five innings, the Steers trailed 4-3 and had managed just four hits.

But following a leadoff walk to Ayden Herschbach, Javen Tafoya lined a shot to straightaway centerfield that was coming straight out of the sun.

“Oh, man, it was electrifying, man,” Tafoya said. “But as soon as I felt the contact off the bat, I just, I knew it was a hard, good hit. And once I saw the center fielder and it go over his head, I just got so excited and ran as fast I could.”

With the play in front of him, there was no doubt what he was going to do.

“Once I turned first, I told myself, ‘I’m going home. I don’t care. I’m going home. I’m going all the way,’” he said with a big grin. “Oh, it was just like butterflies would just come building up and up. And it was amazing.”

Although Grady tied it in the seventh, Magdalena was not to be denied.

Josiah Candelaria led off with a single and after an out, slugger Joseph Zamora, who had struck out his previous two at bats stepped up to the plate and hammered a line shot to center.

“The whole game, I didn’t have very good at bats,” he said. “So the last at bat, I just said, ‘I’m gonna sit back.’ I got curve balls all day, so might as well sit back and drive one. Walk it off. I knew that was the game. I knew that was the ball game. I knew it was going over his head.”

In the championship game, again Magdalena only had four hits through five innings and the Warriors had the momentum after tying the score at 3-all in the top of the sixth.

This time it was Zamora who started the winning rally, doubling with one out. He came around to score on Herschbach’s single. He stole second and raced home on a single from Tafoya, who eventually scored on a passed ball by the catcher.

“When it was close in sixth inning, we didn’t panic,” coach Candelaria said. “We didn’t try to do too much at the plate. We fouled off pitches until the pitcher gave us what we were looking for. It was a big inning for us. What happened was what we had prepared all year for.”

Then it was just a matter of Mathew Lopez coming in to close it out for starting pitcher Shane Montoya, who struck out nine and walked just one.

Although Gateway put two runners on with one out, Lopez struck out the final two batters to start the celebration.

Gloves went flying. Hats sailed high in the air. Players dog piled each other across the field.

“We’re champs,” Josiah Candelaria said. “We did it, finally. We’ve been working for this for 13 years now. It was great. We’ve been doing it since we were four and have always been dreaming of winning a state championship together.”

For Herschbach, a senior whose uncle, Manuel Martinez, played on the 1990 team, the championship was amazing.

“It means everything,” he said. “To be able to go out with a bang senior year, it’s just the best.”

When Lopez threw for the final out, “I was just ready to celebrate,” Herschbach said. “As soon as it happened, I ran, threw my glove in the air and celebrated with my teammates.”

Hearing stories about the other championship team from Montoya was inspirational, Herschbach said.

“I’ve heard a few stories, oh definitely,” he said. “He coached the (Steers) baseball team so its pretty surreal. A crazy experience, for sure.”