Updated 2/26/12

Rest In Peace, JT

Your infectious smile will be missed...

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The Way I See It...

 Editorial by Dale Wyman

Welcome to the Duke City Roadrunners Baseball Club website!  This website is for the coaches, players, parents, and fans.  Feel free to contribute by sending me pictures, articles, and editorials.  Thanks to Jeff Oliveira for the great pictures and to Karen Schoepke for the use of your camera this past weekend!  Thanks to team mom Nancy Wyman for all the great pictures as well! 

The DC Roadrunners were formed under the direction of coaches Mark Cantwell, Greg Carpenter, Dennis Groves, and Steve Rozzell.  The 13U club is made up mainly from members of the 2010 Roadrunner Little League All-Stars but welcomes others to the team as well. 

The Roadrunners first games as a club was the Veteran's Day Tournament at Rio Rancho this past weekend.  Although our team went 0-3 the high caliber of talent will soon mesh and, I know, we will be great one day!  We need to give ourselves a break and be patient.  As Coach Mark stated after the game "It's a marathon, not a sprint!"  We’ve only been together a short while most other club teams have been together for years.  (I know… I know… I want to win now, too…)

Our Roadrunners are a great bunch of kids… with a great bunch of “kid” ideals.  Even though our kids are getting older and preparing for high school ball, we all need to remember it’s still a game and our kids are, well, just that, still kids.  Baseball is an intense game and I love the competitive nature all the kids bring to the plate.  However, I think we all need to listen to them closely and pay attention to their “fun” meter.  After each game, I ask my son DJ if he had fun.  The answer is usually “yes.”  The day that he consistently answers “no” is the day to take a step back and reevaluate. 

After a loss DJ is sometimes sad or angry, or both.  However, by the time we get home, his mind drifts elsewhere, his piercing laughter is restored, and he’s bouncing off the walls once again.  After all, he is still a kid.  It really puts everything in perspective. (I’m thinking this might sound familiar to the rest of you as well.)   

Our Roadrunners allow most all of us adults to relive our childhood and experience some things we’ve never experienced before.  I think we all love baseball, live baseball, and look-forward to baseball.  I personally thank all of the players for that. 

I think we have a great thing going here… great coaches, great “kids” and great parents.  Let’s just not lose sight of the “fun” factor.  That I know for sure.

See you on the fields...

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Front Row (L-R):  Caleb Wilson; JT Tonkinson; DJ Wyman; Matt Oliveira

Second Row (L-R):  Cole Schoepke; Blaze Pendleton; Matt Rozzell; Grant Beck; Stephen Cantwell; Adam Felix

Third Row (L-R):  Zachary Groves; Mateo Bustamante; Ian Welsh; Nathan Carpenter

Fourth Row (L-R):  Coach Greg Carpenter; Coach Steve Rozzell; Coach Mark Cantwell

Missing - Coach Dennis Groves; Daniel Clemens; Jayce Jackson

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Wolverines Edge DC, 8-7, in Inaugural Game 

The Duke City Roadrunners played its first game ever Saturday morning but fell short of victory.  The Roadrunners led after the top of the fourth inning, 7-6, but the Albuquerque Wolverines scored twice to claim victory.  Time restraints ended the contest after four frames.

The Roadrunners got off to a shaky start trailing 6-0 after two stanzas but then our boys in red went to work.  In the top of the third inning Cole Schoepke led off with a single up the middle.  Then with two outs, Zachary Groves singled and stole second setting the plate for Mateo Bustamante who doubled to deep left-center scoring Schoepke and Groves.  A series of Woverine errors led to the Roadrunners other two runs.

After relief pitcher Adam Felix shut down the Woverines in the bottom of the third Roadrunner plated three more runs in the fourth to take the lead, 7-6.  Ian Welsh led off with a single then Schoepke drew a bases on balls, Caleb Wilson reached base on an Wolverine error - scoring Welsh, and DJ Wyman walked on four straight pitches to load the bases.  Groves followed with another free pass scoring Schoepke.  The Roadrunners third run came off the bat of Felix who grounded out to the third baseman scoring Wilson.

Bustamante led the Roadrunners with two hits and two RBI's.  Groves, Schoepke, and Welsh garned one hit apiece as the Roadrunners were out-hit, 6-5. 

Matt Rozzell started on the hill for the Roadrunners pitching two innings.  Felix hurled the final two frames, striking out four hitters, allowing just two hits, but picked up the loss.

(Left) Blaze Pendleton (foreground) and Ian Welsh get ready for the pitch.  (Right) Mateo Bustamante went 2-for-2 with two RBI's.

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Sidewinders Blast Roadrunners, 10-1 

The Duke City Roadrunners picked up where they left off from their first game during the Veteran's Day Tournament, Saturday afternoon at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex, but it was short lived.  The Roadrunners scored a run in the top of the first stanza but watched as the Rio Rancho Sidewinders - the eventual tournament champions - coasted to a 10-1 victory.

The Roadruners only run came after Grant Beck led off the game with a walk and scored on a single up the middle by DJ Wyman.  The Roadrunners managed just one more hit for the rest of the contest - a booming double to right-center field by Cole Schoepke.  The Sidewinders had nine hits including a double and two triples.

Starting pitcher Mateo Bustamante suffered the loss after throwing two frames.  Zachary Groves and Matthew Oliveira pitched in relief. 

(Left) Matt Oliveira pitched the final inning for the Roadrunners.  (Right) Cole Schoepke doubled to right-center field.

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DC Knocked Out by Volcanoes, 7-2 

The Duke City Roadrunners quest for its first victory fell short as the Albuquerque Volcanoes - who finished second in the Veteran's Day Tournament - edged our boys in red, 7-2, early Sunday morning at Eagle Ridge Middle School.

The Roadrunners fell behind, 5-0, through two and half innings before plating two runs in the bottom of the third.  With one out Mateo Bustamante single down the third base line then advanced to second on a passed ball.  Matt Rozzell reached base on a Volcanoe error and JT Tonkinson walked to load the bases.  DJ Wyman followed with a grounder to the second baseman scoring Bustamante but the throw was bobbled by the first baseman allowing Rozzell to score as well.

The Roadrunners managed just five hits in the loss while the Volcanoes had just six.  The single by Bustamante, a double to the gap in right-center by Adam Felix, and singles by Wyman, Zachary Groves, and Nathan Carpenter.

Felix, who suffered the loss, pitched four strong innings for the Roadrunners, giving up just three hits.  Wyman pitched the final frame.

(Left) (L-R) Adam Felix, Grant Beck, JT Tonkinson and Zachary Groves listen to Coach Mark.  (Right) DJ Wyman pitched in relief.

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toner cartridge

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