2014 Alpine Cowboys Season Recap - Santa Fe Wins the Pecos League Championship at Kokernot Field
The 2014 Alpine Cowboys season was one of the strongest seasons in franchise history, but it ended with one of the most difficult losses the Cowboys had experienced at Kokernot Field. Alpine won 47 regular-season games, defeated the Roswell Invaders in a three-game playoff series and advanced to the Pecos League Championship Series. The Cowboys even won the opening game of the championship series, putting themselves one victory away from another title. Instead, Bill Moore's Santa Fe Fuego came back to win the final two games and celebrated the 2014 Pecos League Championship on Alpine's home field.
Three years into the Pecos League era, the Cowboys had firmly established themselves as one of the league's premier organizations. Alpine had reached the postseason in 2011, won the Pecos League Championship in 2012 and returned to the playoffs in 2013 before being eliminated by Roswell. The expectation entering 2014 was no longer simply to reach the postseason. The Cowboys expected to play for championships.
The 2014 team lived up to those expectations throughout the regular season. Alpine finished 47-20, producing one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. The Cowboys were consistent from the beginning of the summer and possessed a roster with outstanding starting pitching, a deep bullpen and an offense that featured a number of productive everyday players.
Austin Prott became one of the central figures in the Alpine lineup. Prott appeared in 66 games and hit .360, collecting 89 hits in 247 at-bats. He scored 59 runs, hit 14 doubles, four triples and 10 home runs while driving in a team-high 65 runs. Prott's combination of average, power and run production made him one of Alpine's most dependable offensive players throughout the season.
Casanova Donaldson returned after playing a significant role for Alpine in 2013 and produced another excellent season. Donaldson played in 63 games and hit .381 with 91 hits, the most on the team. He finished with 18 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 63 RBIs while scoring 54 runs and stealing 21 bases. Donaldson could impact a game with his bat or his speed and gave the Cowboys another major offensive weapon.
Tyler Heck was one of Alpine's most exciting players. Heck hit .393 in 57 games, collecting 79 hits in 201 at-bats. He scored a team-high 66 runs, hit 14 doubles and three triples and stole 24 bases. Heck also drew 26 walks and was hit by 23 pitches, constantly finding ways to reach base and create scoring opportunities.
Brian Millimen provided additional power in the middle of the order. Millimen hit .313 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs while appearing in 60 games. Matthew Henrickson collected 54 hits and an impressive 19 doubles while driving in 29 runs. Riley Smith hit .316 with 56 hits and stole 23 bases, giving Alpine another player capable of creating offense with his legs.
Corey Caswell hit .324 in 51 games and provided steady production behind the plate. John Hotta scored 45 runs and drew 37 walks, while Anthony Renteria contributed 12 doubles and three home runs. Derrick Fox, one of the leaders of the 2013 team, returned for 18 games and hit .391, collecting 25 hits in only 64 at-bats.
The Cowboys had plenty of offense, but the defining strength of the 2014 club was its pitching staff.
Alpine had one of the deepest collections of starting pitchers in the Pecos League. Noah Piard went 6-1 with a 3.31 ERA in nine starts. Piard worked 51.2 innings, allowed only 32 hits and struck out 47. He completed two games and posted a 0.94 WHIP, giving the Cowboys one of the most effective starters in the league.
Josh Cruse was undefeated during the regular season, finishing 6-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Cruse made 11 starts, worked 57 innings and struck out 53. Anthony Figliolia also won six games, finishing 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA. Figliolia worked 65.1 innings and completed four of his 10 starts.
Brett Kennedy, who had been Alpine's ace during the 2012 championship season, remained an important part of the rotation. Kennedy went 5-2 with a 4.54 ERA and struck out 55 hitters in 61.1 innings. He also completed four games.
The combination of Piard, Cruse, Figliolia and Kennedy gave Alpine tremendous depth in the starting rotation. The Cowboys did not have to depend on one pitcher to carry the club. They had multiple starters capable of winning important games and working deep into the night.
The bullpen may have been even better.
Ryan Rogers was outstanding in relief, going 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA in 26 appearances. He recorded seven saves and allowed only six earned runs in 29 innings. Andrew Shoemaker appeared in 35 games and went 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA, working 48 innings and striking out 48. Travis Renwick posted a 2.25 ERA in 21 appearances, while Ryan Richardson went 2-2 with a 4.06 ERA in 28 appearances.
With that combination of starting pitching and relief pitching, Alpine had the type of staff capable of surviving a postseason series.
The Cowboys began the season by winning their first three games, scoring 16, 11 and six runs. Alpine continued winning throughout May and finished the month with a strong stretch that included victories of 10-9, 8-6, 8-0, 6-3 and 5-0.
The momentum continued into June. Alpine won 2-1 and 6-3 on June 1 and then put together another strong stretch with victories of 18-9, 4-1, 4-1 and 10-5. The Cowboys demonstrated that they could win in completely different ways. One night the offense could score 18 runs. The next night the pitching staff could hold an opponent to one.
There were difficult stretches during June, but Alpine continually responded. Close victories became a regular part of the season. The Cowboys won games 4-3, 3-2, 7-6 and 5-4. Those games became important preparation for what awaited them in the postseason.
July was when Alpine truly established itself as a championship favorite.
The Cowboys opened the month with five consecutive victories, winning 9-1, 7-4, 7-3, 6-4 and 7-6. After a 3-2 loss, Alpine responded with wins of 15-5 and 7-5. Later in the month the Cowboys posted victories of 13-3, 4-2, 10-4, 17-6 and 12-0.
Alpine finished the regular season with a 47-20 record and entered the postseason with every reason to believe another Pecos League Championship was possible.
Standing in the Cowboys' way once again were the Roswell Invaders.
The postseason history between the two franchises had already become significant. Roswell had eliminated Alpine in 2011 and again ended the Cowboys' season in 2013. Alpine had won the championship in between those defeats in 2012. By 2014, Roswell and Alpine had developed one of the first true rivalries in Pecos League history.
The playoff series began at Kokernot Field on July 25, and Roswell immediately put Alpine in trouble. The Invaders defeated the Cowboys 4-1 in the opening game, leaving Alpine one loss away from elimination.
The Cowboys responded the next night.
Alpine defeated Roswell 6-4 on July 26 to even the series and force a deciding third game.
On July 27, with the season on the line, the two rivals played exactly the type of game their history suggested they would. It was a high-scoring, one-run battle that came down to the end.
Alpine won 9-8.
After Roswell had ended the Cowboys' season in 2013, Alpine had finally returned the favor. The Cowboys won the series two games to one and advanced to the Pecos League Championship Series.
Waiting for Alpine was Bill Moore and the Santa Fe Fuego.
Moore had built Santa Fe into a championship-caliber club, and the Fuego arrived at Kokernot Field with an opportunity to win the first Pecos League Championship in franchise history. Alpine, meanwhile, was trying to become a two-time champion after winning the league title in 2012.
The entire championship series was played at Kokernot Field.
Game 1 was played on July 30, and Alpine took control of the series with a narrow 5-4 victory. The Cowboys were now one victory away from another Pecos League Championship.
For a team that had spent the entire summer winning close games, the situation seemed ideal. Alpine had home-field advantage, a deep pitching staff and a one-game lead in a best-of-three series.
Bill Moore's Fuego refused to go away.
Santa Fe responded in Game 2 on July 31 and defeated Alpine 6-1. The victory completely changed the series. Instead of celebrating a championship, the Cowboys suddenly faced a winner-take-all Game 3 at Kokernot Field.
Everything Alpine had accomplished during the summer came down to one final game on August 1.
The Cowboys had won 47 regular-season games. They had survived Roswell in a three-game playoff series. They had won the opening game of the championship series. They were playing at home in one of the most historic independent baseball stadiums in the Southwest.
But the final game belonged to Santa Fe.
The Fuego defeated Alpine 7-3 to win the series two games to one and capture the 2014 Pecos League Championship.
Bill Moore and the Santa Fe Fuego celebrated the championship at Kokernot Field.
For Alpine, it was a painful ending to an outstanding season. The Cowboys had been one victory away from the championship after winning Game 1, but Santa Fe won consecutive games in Alpine to take the title.
The loss did not change how strong the 2014 Cowboys had been.
Alpine finished the regular season 47-20. Prott hit .360 and drove in 65 runs. Donaldson hit .381 with 91 hits and 63 RBIs. Heck hit .393 and scored 66 runs. Millimen hit 10 home runs and drove in 52. Piard went 6-1. Cruse went 6-0. Figliolia won six games. Kennedy won five. Rogers posted a 1.86 ERA with seven saves, and Shoemaker went 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA.
It was a roster built to win a championship.
The Cowboys came extraordinarily close.
They also finally defeated Roswell when it mattered most. After being eliminated by the Invaders in 2011 and 2013, Alpine survived a three-game series against Roswell and advanced back to the Pecos League Championship Series.
But the final chapter belonged to Santa Fe.
The 2014 season reinforced Alpine's status as one of the dominant organizations of the Pecos League's early years. In the league's first four seasons, the Cowboys had reached the postseason four times, won the 2012 championship and returned to the Championship Series in 2014.
Kokernot Field had become one of the places where Pecos League championships were decided.
In 2012, the celebration belonged to Alpine.
In 2014, the Cowboys stood on the other side and watched Bill Moore's Santa Fe Fuego celebrate a championship on their field.
For Alpine, it was a bitter ending to one of the best regular seasons the franchise had produced. The Cowboys had won 47 games, defeated their rival Roswell and came within one victory of another league championship.
The 2014 Alpine Cowboys did almost everything they set out to do.
They simply could not win the final game.
Bill Moore and the Santa Fe Fuego were the 2014 Pecos League Champions, winning the title in Alpine in a three-game series at Kokernot Field.
