The Old Pueblo Tribe is back like it never left, giving fans yet another memorable intrasquad matchup—one we won’t be forgetting anytime soon. It may be the first game of the season, but this one already feels like an early candidate for game of the year.
Most baseball fans probably would’ve counted out Tribe Gold after the bottom of the sixth. They just needed to finally break through and grab some momentum. That’s exactly what they did in the seventh inning, scoring three runs, then adding four more in the eighth. Once Tribe Gold took the lead, they never looked back. The bats couldn’t be stopped, and they tacked on two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth. In just three innings, Tribe Gold took over the game and put up nine runs. Let’s break down this game and its notable performers.
Old Pueblo Tribe Red vs. Old Pueblo Tribe Gold
Start Time – 1:30 PM
End Time – 4:27 PM
Length of Game – 2 hours and 57 minutes
Starting Pitchers:
Tyler Jacobsen – Gold
Seth Christiansen – Red
First Inning:
Tyler Jacobsen got the first start of the year for Tribe Gold and quickly reminded everyone he’s that guy. His first batter, Gabe Ortiz, went down on strikes—a big feat considering the day Ortiz ended up having. Jacobsen then turned the next two batters into quick outs. It was a 3-up, 3-down inning for Jacobsen, with two strikeouts and one groundout.
Seth Christiansen got the start on the other side for Tribe Red and took some damage early, but he quickly settled in. Christiansen struck out two in the first and got a flyout to secure the third out. Sean Phelan and Paul Carreno both knocked in the first runs of the game. Phelan got it started after Dylan Hartmann was hit by a pitch, driving him in with a huge RBI triple, which set the table for Carreno.
Carreno returned the favor to Phelan and brought him home with an RBI single.
Second Inning – Tribe Gold 2 – 0 Tribe Red
Jacobsen came back out for his second inning of work and made sure everyone knew the first inning was no fluke. If you missed that one, he recreated it—a 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout looking and two flyouts.
Then Christiansen flashed some magic on the mound as well. After issuing two walks, he locked in and struck out three straight hitters, including one backwards K in the scorebook. It was all pitching in the second inning; not a single batter could break through against Jacobsen or Christiansen.
The second inning was Christiansen’s final frame of work, with his final line down below.
Seth Christiansen: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Third Inning – Tribe Gold 2 – 0 Tribe Red
Byron Contreras was the one who finally broke the hitless stretch for Tribe Red, ripping a double for their first hit of the day. Jacobsen was on another level, though. He induced two weak-contact outs and added another strikeout looking. It was another solid inning of work, and he didn’t let the pressure of a runner in scoring position get to him.
Noah Estrella then came in for Christiansen and made quick work to keep this pitcher’s duel rolling. Estrella struck out the first batter he faced, forced a weak groundout, then picked up another strikeout. It was an impressive first inning of work for Estrella and another frame where the bats stayed quiet.
Fourth Inning – Tribe Gold 2 – 1 Tribe Red
Dajour Scott got things started for Tribe Red in the top of the fourth with a solid single, but that wasn’t the highlight of the inning. He saw an opportunity, took off, and successfully swiped a base. At the time it didn’t seem huge, but Gabe Ortiz knew exactly what needed to be done. With Scott in scoring position, Ortiz came through with a 1-run RBI double. Nobody may have realized it yet, but this first run of the day for Tribe Red was the start of something big.
Tribe Gold answered in the bottom of the fourth and expanded the lead again. Sean Phelan kicked it off with a single, his second hit of the day. Paul Carreno followed with his second hit as well, driving in Phelan with a 1-run RBI double—his second RBI of the day. Jojo Escarsega then returned the gesture to Carreno, bringing him home with a 1-run RBI single. Gold put together a huge three-hit, two-run inning to push the lead back to three.
Fifth Inning – Tribe Gold 4 – 1 Tribe Red
Jacobsen came out for the fifth for his final inning of work and kept his strong start going. After allowing a leadoff base hit, he settled in and generated weak contact for three straight outs. Jacobsen will definitely be a name to watch this season and will certainly have more starts like this one.
Tyler Jacobsen: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Estrella added another solid inning of work, striking out the side for a quick 1-2-3 frame. Across the appearances by Estrella, Christiansen, and Jacobsen, they allowed just nine hits. Combined, they faced 41 batters, held them to a .230 batting average, and struck out 15. This was Estrella’s final inning of work, and he finished with a very strong line.
Noah Estrella: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Sixth Inning – Tribe Gold 4 – 1 Tribe Red
If you enjoy offense, these next few innings are exactly what you’re here for. Strap in and get ready, because it’s a wild ride from here on out.
D.J. Ethridge came in to relieve Jacobsen and quickly picked up right where he left off. He struck out three straight out of the pen, including one batter caught looking. It was a relatively quick inning of work for Ethridge, and he showed solid command.
David James kicked off the bottom of the sixth with a base knock. Angel Faras followed with a single of his own, putting traffic on the basepaths. Dylan Hartmann brought them both home with a 2-run RBI single, the third consecutive single of the inning. Sean Phelan added the fourth straight hit, his third knock of the day—he was seeing the ball like a beach ball at that point.
Gold tacked on two runs before Red could finally record the outs they needed, extending the lead to 6–1.
Seventh Inning – Tribe Gold 6 – 1 Tribe Red
Justin Hernandez kicked off what would become a massive rally for Tribe Red. At the time, his leadoff knock only looked like it might cut the lead in half, but it ended up being the spark for a much bigger comeback—and it all started in this inning.
Hernandez’s leadoff single opened the door for Arvizu to add more traffic on the basepaths. With two runners on, Ortiz stepped in, already having delivered in the fourth. He knew Red needed another big swing.
The first pitch was just off the plate and not to Ortiz’s liking, so he laid off. The second pitch was right in his sweet spot, and he crushed a triple into right field, flashing both speed and power in one at-bat. Ortiz’s second hit of the night drove in two runs and cut Gold’s lead from five to three. Jacob Hernandez then showed great patience at the plate, working back from an 0–2 count to draw a huge walk. John Williams followed by bringing Ortiz home with a 1-run RBI single to chip further into Gold’s lead. Andres Betancourt also walked on four straight pitches, loading the bases. Ethridge was able to escape the jam and ended the inning with a three-pitch strikeout to stop the bleeding.
Tribe Red may have looked out of the fight early, but after that inning, Gold knew closing this one out was going to be anything but easy.
In the bottom of the seventh, Drew Vertes went to work and forced the first three batters into weak contact, recording three quick outs and getting those hot Red bats back into the dugout in no time. It only took Vertes 12 pitches to retire the side and bring the offense back up with bats in their hands.
Eighth Inning – Tribe Gold 6 – 4 Tribe Red
In the top of the eighth for Tribe Red, with Julian Zepada set to lead off, he worked a 2–2 count into a walk. Justin Hernandez followed and did the same. With two runners on, Arvizu knew Red needed another big moment. Sometimes, a big hit isn’t even necessary. Arvizu lifted a towering pop fly to left field that was dropped, allowing him to reach on an error and bringing Zepada home. Dajour Scott then rewarded Hernandez’s patience by driving him in with a 1-run RBI single, tying the game at six.
With two outs in the top of the eighth and the top of the lineup due up, Ortiz stepped in already 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs. This at-bat felt like the one where he needed to deliver again—and he did.
Arvizu and Scott advanced from first and second to second and third after an error by the catcher, putting them in scoring position for Ortiz’s 2-run RBI single. It was his third hit of the day and his fifth RBI. At that point, he had been responsible for 62% of Red’s runs.
The inning ended on the basepaths, but Red had just grabbed its first lead of the game. It was 8–6, and everyone in the dugout knew that insurance runs—and a shutdown inning of pitching and defense—were still going to be crucial.
In the bottom of the eighth, Vertes came back out and quickly recorded a strikeout. Gomez tried to put pressure on him with a base hit and a stolen base, but Vertes stayed ice-cold, striking out the next batter looking. David James then reached on an error, bringing Gomez home and cutting Red’s lead to one. Even so, Vertes minimized the damage by inducing weak contact for the third out.
Ninth Inning – Tribe Red 8 – 7 Tribe Gold
Red knew this was its last opportunity to buy some insurance. Going into the ninth, some teams go in light, and some go in fully covered. Red clearly opted for the premium plan.
Jacob Hernandez led off the top of the ninth and reached on an error. Mayorca drew a walk, putting two runners on for John Williams. Hernandez kept the pressure on Ethridge by stealing a base. With the bases loaded, Andres Betancourt brought Mayorca home on a sacrifice fly. Art Madrigal then grounded into a fielder’s choice, with Gold getting the force out on Williams. Zepada followed with a base knock, moving Madrigal up to second. Christiansen worked the count and drew a walk before the inning finally ended on a strikeout.
This was exactly the kind of insurance inning coaches dream about. Red delivered textbook baseball over the final three offensive frames.
In the bottom of the ninth, Hartmann drew a walk to get things started and kept the pressure on by swiping a base and showing off his speed. Carreno brought him home on a sacrifice hit. Nolan Marthaler then reached first on five pitches after drawing a walk, and Hector Torres followed with a huge double. Unfortunately for Gold, it still wasn’t enough. Vertes locked it down, recorded the final out, and completed the comeback for Tribe Red.
Final – Tribe Red 10 – Tribe Gold 8
D.J. Ethridge: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 6 SO
Drew Vertes: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
It was another fun game, and the Tribe showed it’s picking up right where it left off last season—giving us weekly, high-energy, must-watch games. If you’re curious when you can catch another one like this, the Tribe has a tournament in Guadalupe on April 12, facing Obregon and the Aztecas. The following week (April 19) will be against La Bedolla, with the championship game the same day. April 25 and 26 will be an off-weekend for the Tribe. For more information, visit the Old Pueblo Tribe’s Instagram here!
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