Right now, the Montezuma-Cortez High School varsity baseball team is in first place of the Southwestern League with a 1-0 record.

The Panthers, who whipped Montrose 11-5 Tuesday, April 4, had their other two league games against Palisade and Fruita-Monument postponed because of wet grounds last weekend.

Cortez will host Palisade at 10 a.m. this Tuesday, April 11, at Parque de Vida and then move over to Englehart Field for its game against Fruita at 3 p.m.

The Indians jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first inning in the game played at Parque de Vida. Dan McCaslin ripped a two-triple, scoring three runs. The Panthers responded in the bottom of the frame with an unearned run. Bryce Tanner reached base on an error and later scored a couple more miscues.

Montrose had a runner reach first via a walk but he was thrown out at second in the second inning. Cortez went up 4-3 with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Tony McComb, Evan Frost and Shane Chadwick all scored.

Panther ace pitcher Josh Cornett went to work and retired the next five of six batters he faced. However, the Panthers’ bats also went quiet during innings three and four.

In the top of the top of the fifth, Montrose scored twice when Cornett walked the first three batters he faced. One run came home following a wild pitch and another scored on a grounder. Bollinger went out to the mound twice that inning but decided to leave Cornett in the game. He struck out the next two batters to get them out of the jam.

"I went out there to try and help get him focused," MCHS head coach Jeff Bollinger said. "He got the ball down a little bit after being high in the strike zone. He told me he was still good and I trust him. I scared him a little bit and told him he was coming out of the game and he settled down from there. I had a reliever ready to come in and that upset him."

Although, the Indians were now on top 5-4, the Panthers scored twice in the fifth and added five more runs in the sixth. In the fifth, Josh Knapp scored after he went to first on an infield hit, stole second and raced home on a two-base error. Matt Ruggles cracked a single, stole second and then came home on a single by Cornett. In the sixth, Knapp ripped an RBI double and Randon Cornett knocked in a run with a single which was the highlight. McComb, Frost, Matt Betts, Knapp, Josh Cornett, and Randon Cornett all had singles in the frame.

After Bollinger went out to the mound in the fifth, Cornett retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced to end up going the distance. He was credited with the win. He fanned 11 and held Montrose to only two hits.

"Our bats came alive," Bollinger added. "We hit the ball very well (12 hits). We are starting to come around and we had some money hits."