2015 Alpine Cowboys Season Recap - Roswell Again Ends Alpine's Season
The 2015 Alpine Cowboys entered the fifth season of the Pecos League as one of the most established organizations in the league. Alpine had reached the postseason in each of the first four seasons, won the Pecos League Championship in 2012 and came within one victory of another championship in 2014. The Cowboys had become accustomed to playing meaningful baseball late in the summer, and the expectation at Kokernot Field remained the same in 2015: compete for another Pecos League Championship.
The previous season had ended in heartbreaking fashion. Alpine won 47 regular-season games in 2014, defeated the Roswell Invaders in a three-game playoff series and won Game 1 of the Pecos League Championship Series. Bill Moore's Santa Fe Fuego then won the final two games at Kokernot Field to capture the championship. Alpine entered 2015 trying to return to the championship series and finish the job.
The 2015 Cowboys again produced a winning team, finishing the regular season 40-27. The season featured stretches of outstanding baseball, a deep lineup and several pitchers who gave Alpine a chance to win throughout the summer. The Cowboys again qualified for the postseason, continuing an impressive run of consistency during the first five years of the Pecos League.
At the center of the 2015 offense was Derrick Fox, who produced one of the best individual seasons in Alpine Cowboys history. Fox played in 67 games and collected an incredible 117 hits in 269 at-bats for a .435 batting average. He scored 72 runs, hit 22 doubles, added a triple and seven home runs and drove in 65 runs. Fox also stole 22 bases and struck out only 16 times.
Fox had already been an important player for Alpine in previous seasons, but 2015 represented another level of production. He had collected 100 hits and batted .352 in 2013 and returned for part of the 2014 season. In 2015 he became the centerpiece of the Cowboys lineup, combining an extraordinary batting average with run production, speed and consistency.
Riley Smith also put together a strong season. Smith appeared in 68 games, scored 71 runs and collected 92 hits in 276 at-bats for a .333 average. He hit 14 doubles, a triple and five home runs while driving in 30 and stealing 13 bases. With Fox and Smith regularly reaching base and scoring runs, Alpine had tremendous production near the top of the lineup.
Daniel Aldrich supplied the power.
Aldrich appeared in 52 games and hit .342 with 66 hits, 16 doubles, three triples and a team-high 14 home runs. He drove in 60 runs and scored 50. Aldrich gave the Cowboys a legitimate home-run threat in the middle of the order and became one of the most dangerous hitters on the roster.
Colby Gee was another major offensive contributor. Gee hit .389 in 51 games, collecting 65 hits in 167 at-bats. He finished with 10 doubles, five home runs and 40 RBIs. With Fox hitting .435, Gee hitting .389 and Aldrich hitting .342, Alpine had several hitters capable of taking over a game.
Robert Zaragoza provided consistency in the outfield, appearing in 63 games and hitting .328. Zaragoza collected 76 hits, including 17 doubles and three triples, scored 50 runs and drove in 35. Colin Forgey added eight home runs and 25 RBIs while scoring 39 runs in 41 games.
Matt Henrickson remained a familiar presence in the Alpine lineup. Henrickson played in 60 games and drove in 36 runs with eight doubles and five home runs. Yuta Okazaki hit .318 with 50 hits and 24 RBIs in 45 games. Eric Herman returned for 18 games and hit .371, giving the Cowboys another veteran bat during his time with the club.
The lineup gave Alpine the ability to win games in several different ways. The Cowboys had Fox setting the pace with 117 hits, Aldrich providing home-run power, Gee hitting nearly .390 and Smith consistently reaching base and scoring runs. It was another deep Alpine offense capable of producing big innings at Kokernot Field or on the road.
On the pitching side, Ryan Richardson became one of the most valuable members of the bullpen. Richardson appeared in 28 games and finished 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA. He recorded 17 saves in 31.2 innings, striking out 31 while walking only two. His 1.06 WHIP gave Alpine a dependable pitcher to finish games when the Cowboys carried a lead into the late innings.
Steven Johnson was one of the most versatile pitchers on the staff. Johnson appeared in 31 games and finished 7-1 with a 4.04 ERA. He worked 55.2 innings, struck out 60 and walked only 12. His seven victories tied for the team lead and gave Alpine valuable innings throughout the season.
Daniel Thorpe carried the largest workload on the pitching staff. Thorpe made 13 starts and went 6-4 with a 4.07 ERA. He threw 88.1 innings, completed two games and struck out 62. Thorpe gave the Cowboys a pitcher capable of taking the ball regularly and working deep into games.
Kevin Klaess also won seven games, finishing 7-3 in 14 appearances and 12 starts. Klaess threw 68 innings. Brad Orosey went 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA and struck out 36 in 33.1 innings, while Michael Fitzwater went 3-0 with a 3.85 ERA.
Chris Rogers provided another strong bullpen option, going 3-0 with a 4.36 ERA in 22 appearances. He walked only four batters in 33 innings. Pat Lemmo went 3-2 with a 4.09 ERA and completed three of his nine starts.
The 2015 season began with Alpine winning six of its first seven games. The Cowboys opened with a 6-5 victory and, after dropping their next game, immediately responded with wins of 3-2, 6-5, 8-5, 8-4 and 7-6. Alpine then exploded for an 11-4 victory and later scored 15 runs in another win.
The beginning of June was much more difficult. Alpine lost five consecutive games from June 1 through June 5, dropping games by scores of 4-3, 4-2, 8-5, 8-7 and 13-11. The stretch demonstrated how quickly a season could change in the Pecos League, but the Cowboys did not allow the losing streak to define their summer.
Alpine responded by winning three consecutive games, including close victories of 9-8 and 4-3. Later in June, the Cowboys put together one of their strongest stretches of the season. Beginning June 17, Alpine won six consecutive games, defeating opponents 9-2, 3-2, 11-7, 8-3, 7-6 and 12-6.
That winning streak showed the balance of the club. Alpine could win a 3-2 pitching game or score 12 runs when the offense took control. After two one-run losses, the Cowboys answered again with victories of 16-14 and 8-7.
July became another important month in Alpine's playoff push. The Cowboys opened the month with a 2-0 shutout and followed with a 9-2 victory. They later won 6-2 and 8-7 before beginning one of their best road stretches of the season.
From July 10 through July 17, Alpine won seven of eight games. The Cowboys posted victories of 14-4, 3-1, 18-2, 23-5, 10-5, 4-0, 3-2 and 7-5 during a dominant stretch. The 23-5 victory was one of the biggest offensive performances of the season, while the 4-0 win demonstrated that the pitching staff could be equally dominant.
Alpine finished the regular season 40-27 and once again earned a place in the Pecos League postseason.
For the fifth consecutive season, the Alpine Cowboys were playing playoff baseball.
And once again, the Roswell Invaders were waiting.
By 2015, there was no question that Alpine and Roswell had developed one of the defining rivalries of the early Pecos League. The history between the two organizations had been built almost entirely through meaningful postseason games.
Roswell eliminated Alpine in the first Pecos League playoffs in 2011. Alpine won the Pecos League Championship in 2012. Roswell ended Alpine's season again in 2013. The Cowboys finally turned the tables in 2014, defeating the Invaders in three games before advancing to the Pecos League Championship Series.
In 2015, the rivalry returned to the postseason.
The series again became a battle, but this time the Invaders had the final word.
Roswell defeated Alpine and ended the Cowboys' season.
For Alpine, it was another frustrating postseason ending against the opponent that had caused the organization more playoff problems than any other team during the first five years of the Pecos League. Roswell had now been responsible for ending Alpine's season in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
The loss was particularly disappointing because the Cowboys had enough talent to believe another championship run was possible. Fox had produced a remarkable .435 season with 117 hits. Aldrich had supplied 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. Gee had hit .389. Smith had collected 92 hits and scored 71 runs. Richardson had established himself as a dominant closer with 17 saves and a 2.27 ERA. Johnson and Klaess had each won seven games, while Thorpe had provided 88.1 innings as one of the team's primary starters.
It was a team capable of beating almost anyone in the league.
But once again, Alpine could not get past Roswell when the season was on the line.
The result continued an unusual pattern in the early history of the Cowboys. Alpine's first five Pecos League seasons had all ended in the postseason. Three of those five seasons had ended against the Roswell Invaders.
The Cowboys had nevertheless established an extraordinary level of consistency. Alpine reached the playoffs in 2011. The Cowboys won the championship in 2012. They returned to the playoffs in 2013. They reached the Championship Series in 2014. They qualified for the postseason again in 2015.
Five seasons. Five playoff appearances.
Kokernot Field had become synonymous with meaningful Pecos League baseball.
The 2015 season was also memorable because of the individual performance of Derrick Fox. Hitting .435 over 67 games and collecting 117 hits represented an extraordinary summer in any level of baseball. Fox was not simply a power hitter taking advantage of Kokernot Field. He hit for average, scored 72 runs, drove in 65, stole 22 bases and rarely struck out. His season became one of the defining performances of the 2015 Cowboys.
Daniel Aldrich's power gave the lineup another identity, while Gee, Smith, Zaragoza and the rest of the offense gave Alpine depth. Richardson's 17 saves provided stability at the back of the bullpen, and the combination of Johnson, Thorpe, Klaess and the rest of the pitching staff kept the Cowboys in contention throughout the summer.
The Cowboys did many things well in 2015.
They won 40 regular-season games.
They reached the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.
They had one of the best individual offensive seasons in franchise history from Derrick Fox.
But the season ended with the same opponent that had ended so many Alpine seasons before it.
The Roswell Invaders.
Through five years of Pecos League baseball, no matchup had become more closely connected to Alpine's postseason history. Roswell had ended the Cowboys' inaugural Pecos League season in 2011. The Invaders eliminated Alpine again in 2013. Alpine finally defeated Roswell on the way to the Championship Series in 2014. Then Roswell came back in 2015 and ended another Cowboys season.
For Alpine, the 2015 season was another reminder of how difficult winning a championship could be. The Cowboys had become one of the league's most consistent organizations, but consistency did not guarantee a title. Alpine had won it all in 2012 and had come within one victory in 2014. In 2015, the Cowboys never got the opportunity to return to the championship series.
Roswell made sure of that.
The 2015 Alpine Cowboys will be remembered as a talented, productive team led by an extraordinary season from Derrick Fox, a powerful middle of the order featuring Daniel Aldrich and a pitching staff anchored by Richardson, Johnson, Thorpe and Klaess.
It was another winning summer at Kokernot Field and another playoff appearance for one of the cornerstone franchises of the Pecos League.
But for the third time in five seasons, the final chapter was written by the Roswell Invaders.
