5/31/2013-
By Karen Boehler
Pecos League writer

SANTA FE -- SAnta Fe broke a small skid Thursday with a big win over Trinidad, pounding the Triggers 18-7 in a game that saw only two scoreless innings for the Fuego.

"I feel elated," said Santa Fe manager Bill Moore. "I feel like we turned around a streak. We were on a little three-game slide and we certainly stopped that and here we go the other direction for a few games, I hope."

Play-by-play and accurate stats were not available, but the box score shows that while the Fuego were hitting Trigger starter Zach Leitten hard, Fuego hurler Kevin Camacho was shutting Trinidad down.

"Kevin was pretty damn good," Moore said. "He threw strikes. He pounded, pounded, pounded at the strike zone. He gave up runs in the fifth inning, I think he cave up four runs, if my memory is good, which it isnt, we came right back in and got five right back. Its called an answer-up inning. When the other team scores, you have to come in and do it, too. We were able to do that the two innings that they scored."

The only two innings where the Triggers scored were the sixth and eighth. The visitors put up four in the sixth and Santa Fe matched that and added one in the bottom of the stanza; and three in the eighth, when the Fuego did the same thing.

Trinidad manager J.D. Droddy didnt sound too disappointed with the loss.

"We had our lunch handed to us today. It happens," he said. "I told our team, this counts as one loss just as though we lost 2-1, so to forget about it. We may get beat this bad again. In this league, it happens. We lost our focus today. Despite giving up 18 runs, I thought we pitched pretty well. We just didnt give them any support behind them."

Leitten gave up seven runs through five, but one declared error and a few mental mistakes made things worse than they could have been, Droddy said.

"He didnt have his best stuff. He had velocity on his fast ball. It wasnt moving too much. Had a really nasty slider. But he pitched well enough to have gotten out of it in a lot better shape than he did."

The home-run friendly Fort Marcy Park surrendered three shots Thursday: Bryce Miler had one for Trinidad whole Devonte Odums and Bryson Sims sent balls sailing for Santa Fe.

Sims shot was his first outside of spring training, and Moore laughed when asked about the shot.

"What I expected from Bryson when we broke camp was to be a day-off guy," the manager said. "When we needed to give somebody a day off, Bryson would go out and play adequately and perform well. I dont know what to do with him now. Hes been in the lineup five, six games in a row and hes hitting the ball well and playing good defense. I think maybe Brysons earned himself an everyday spot for a while."

With the game well out of hand in the ninth, Droddy gave two reserves time at the plate. James Hall, who was celebrating his birthday, and Calen Hindricks, both got a chance to hit.

"Both reserves, but it was an opportunity," Droddy said. "They want to play too and they work hard and they deserved it."

Trinidad now heads home to face Taos, while Santa Fe travels to Las Vegas. Both series are first-time matchups in the Pecos League, and Moore sounds excited to make the hour drive up the road.

"I expect a great series," he said. "(Train Robber manager) Casey Dill is one of my favorite managers. I think the little rascal can coach a ball club. I think he puts good players on the field and manages them to give them the best opportunity to win. If they execute, were in for a battle. Period."

Phil Grondin contributed to this story