The North Platte 80s got ahead early and held on in both games Monday as they swept the Santa Fe Fuego in a doubleheader at Bill Wood Field.

The scores were 5-1 and 9-7.

In the Pecos League, where 50 games are squeezed in over a period of just over two months, freshness is at a premium and 80s manager Todd Everleth said that helped his team get the lead in both games.

“Santa Fe had a rough one yesterday in Trinidad and they had to travel back here,” he said. “They got in early in the morning. It was a rough ride for them. We were in Garden City yesterday and fortunately, we were able to get home with a good night’s rest. We were rested and the other guys were just a little tired. It was good to sweep one. It puts us on the right path for July.”

In the first inning of the first game, the 80s (10-24) scored the first run on a wild pitch by Chris Macias. Kyle Jenson singled to bring in another run and then Cy Rushing scored on a double steal with Jenson to make it 3-0.

Santa Fe didn’t score until the fourth inning when Sam Freedman hit a two-out single. But that was the only run the Fuego could muster against pitcher Carson McCurdy.

North Platte expanded their lead in the sixth on two-out singles by Darrius Bomer and Jake Boucher. McCurdy again shut down Santa Fe in the seventh to get the complete game victory.

“Carson is one of those veterans who doesn’t get rattled,” Everleth said. “He’s been through so many experiences in baseball in all the levels, almost up to Triple A of independent ball. He was one step away from the show at that point. He knows how to keep his calm and he threw lights out for us.”

The 80s also jumped ahead in the first inning. The first two runs were scored when Rushing hit a two-run double to right field. Another run scored on a wild pitch by Zane Loveday. Lucas Rincon hit a two-run double to right-center that made it 5-0 and spelled an early end for Loveday’s outing.

In the second inning against new pitcher Daniel Allard, North Platte added to their lead. Rushing brought in another run with a single to right. Then it became 7-0 when catcher Dily Romero made a wild throw to second base.

Santa Fe got on the board against Boucher, the 80s pitcher for game two, on a single by Romeo with two outs in the fourth.

The Fuego got back into it in the sixth when Freedman hit a three-run home run to right.

North Platte answered back in the bottom of the sixth when McCurdy hit a solo homer to right. Garrett Flaagan brought in another run with a two-out single to give the 80s a 9-4 lead as Santa Fe headed into their final three outs.

In the seventh, Connor Hickey doubled to left to score a run. Boucher was then relieved by the team’s newest acquisition, Cole Bumbales. Alex Elliott hit a sacrifice fly ball to right to score another run and it became a two-run game on a wild pitch by Bumbales. But Bumbales got the Fuego to hit into a double play to end the game and the 80s got the sweep.

“(Getting ahead), allows our pitcher to experiment more with some zone changes,” Everleth said. “If we were playing from behind, we’d pitch to contact and try to get outs. Today, Jake Boucher didn’t have all his best stuff tonight but he had enough to where we could take the lead and stay within the game.”

Next, the 80s will play one game at the Garden City Wind on Thursday before hosting the Wind for a three game series starting on Friday.

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