Big Bend Cowboys
Big Bend Cowboys
This page is dedicated to the Big Bend Cowboys independent professional baseball team. The team played in the CBL during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, winning the final (2010) CBL championship. The Cowboys now play in the Pecos League as the Alpine Cowboys, still playing at Kokernot Field.
Statistics
This site is still attempting to find the 2010 pitching and fielding stats (and overall roster) for the Cowboys that season. The position players and batting stats are in the 2010 link above, but below will begin to piece together the 2010 pitching roster. It has to be compiled from several sources unless someone can provide us with the official 2010 pitching roster (or complete Cowboys’ roster). At that point, once confirmed, then this section of the Cowboys page will be updated.
Starting list of 2010 Big Bend Cowboys pitchers (incomplete as of May 2020):
Resources:
- http://alpine.pecosleague.com/cowboys.asp?page=4&tablename=pecos_players_2011&year=2011
- https://bigbendarc.com/archive/NEWSLETTERS/2010/2010_07/2010-07_Bark_page_2.pdf
- https://gc.com/game-4bfe1d1dfbbfc77c02000206
- https://ozarks.edu/news/dixon-signs-with-kalamazoo-kings/
- https://www.mlive.com/kings/2010/06/curt_dixon_meets_kalamazoo_kin.html
- http://www.alpineavalanche.com/search/?f=html&q=big+bend+cowboys&d1=2010-04-01&sd=desc&l=25&nsa=eedition
This version of the roster is not necessarily complete, but the players listed came from the archived versions of the team’s website from the 2010 season:
Stadium
Resource about Kokernot Field including photos, stadium dimensions and more: https://sites.google.com/site/ballparkcrawl/pecos/kokernot
Articles
Update on Ryan Stevens, former manager for the Big Bend Cowboys: click this link and this link from late 2022 (click here)
—> Sept 2019 update on Ryan Stevens: https://www.wells-express.com/sports/bsb/2019-20/releases/20190908xakmb1
Fans’ blog posts about the 2009 Big Bend Cowboys and Kokernot Field:
- http://joenickp.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-little-ballpark-in-texas-or.html
- http://www.judymorgan-parenthesis.com/essays/baseball.html
Mentions of the Big Bend Cowboys in 2010 when Tiffany Brooks was signed to a spring training contract:
- http://www.mister-baseball.com/interview-tiffany-brooks-woman-sign-pro-contract-21st-century/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Brooks
- http://www.checkswing.com/profiles/blogs/tiffany-brooks-becomes-first
- http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nancytferrari/2011/05/11/tiffany-brooks-and-women-in-baseball
- https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Tiffany_Brooks
- http://www.swxrightnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12439443
- https://busleagues.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/tiffany-brooks-is-getting-her-shot/
- http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/3519/forgetting-ila-borders
Here are some articles about Kokernot Field:
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/king-of-diamonds/
- http://www.intheballparks.com/pecos/kokernot
- http://www.charliesballparks.com/st/TX-Alpine-Kokernot.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokernot_Field
- https://www.mrt.com/news/article/Around-West-Texas-Crack-of-the-bat-returns-to-7481239.php
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g30158-d1771622-r395999144-Big_Bend_Cowboys-Alpine_Texas.html
- http://joenickp.blogspot.com/2009/08/best-little-ballpark-in-texas-or.html
Article about 2010 manager Ryan Stevens:
http://www.bigbendcourier.com/86180
Picture of the Cowboys’ team doctor: click here
2009 review of the team’s uniforms, caps and logo: click here
Update on Ryan Stevens, former manager for the BigBend Cowboys: go here
2015 mention of Reed Alfieri becoming an assistant coach with the Covington Lumberjacks: http://www.valleyleaguebaseball.com/view/valleyleaguebaseball/news-652/news_332530
2010 mention of Rene Ruiz becoming an assistant coach with the Manhattan Jaspers: https://gojaspers.com/news/2010/11/19/205033768.aspx
The Cowboys of 2009 and 2010 were invited earlier this year for a 10 year reunion of the original team (2009) by the current Alpine Cowboys (Pecos League). Here is the link to the Facebook events page for the reunion:
https://www.facebook.com/events/393446444769241/
Here is an April 2010 newsletter from the Big Bend Amateur Radio Club (PDF). On page 2 is the original 2010 CBL schedule for the Cowboys which lists games against the West Texas Road Hogs (later replaced before the season by the returning Coastal Kingfish), and the regular season going to August 15, 2010 – with the playoffs then beginning August 17, 2010: https://bigbendarc.com/archive/NEWSLETTERS/2010/2010_04/2010-04-BARK.pdf
This write up appeared on the Big Bend Cowboys’ website in September 2009, about 3 weeks after the season ended:
Thursday, 17 September 2009 11:59 During our inaugural season the Cowboys were able to provide a great environment and opportunity to many great baseball players to showcase their skills. Early in the season shortstop Brandon Wilkerson was signed by the Houston Astros to play in their affiliated minor league farm system. He is the first position player to be signed by an affiliated organization from the CBL in it’s short history. In the middle of the season relief pitchers Johnny Dillard and Stephen Szkotak were both acquired by other independent baseball teams. Dillard had a successful run with the American Association’s El Paso Diablos, while Szkotak was learning the ropes in the Frontier League with the Florence Freedom. Many other Cowboy players had great seasons with the club and we look forward to furthering their careers should the opportunity ever arise. If you are a minor league affiliated or independent team looking to acquire one of our great players please contact Assistant General Manager and Director of Pro Personnel David Turpie. The Cowboys will also be holding camps to look for new players in the offseason, so keep a look-out on our website or contact Field Manager and Director of Baseball Operations Donald Randell for more information.
Here are several write ups which appeared on earlier versions of the old BigBendCowboys.com website:
Flu cancels Thursday game
Written by Red Ruffansore Thursday, 16 July 2009 14:40 LOUISIANA FLU POSTPONES GAME
ALPINE, Texas (July 16, 2009) — A severe stomach flu has sidelined at least ten South Louisiana Pipeliners players, and the team will not be able to make the trip to Alpine for Thursday night’s game against the Big Bend Cowboys.
Liners manager David Angeron said that the ten were too ill to undertake a 14-hour trip in the heat and then play baseball, and that the team did not have enough remaining players to field a full team for the series opener.
As a result, the Thursday night game — slated to be a “Purple Haze” night to honor the Alpine Fighting Bucks baseball team, will be played as the first game of a double-header on Saturday. The first game wlil start at 4:00 p.m., with the regularly scheduled game to follow at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for either the Thursday or Saturday night games will allow admission to both of the Saturday games.
The Fighting Bucks will be honored next Thursday night, July 23, along with the members of the school’s Lady Bucks softball team.
Last Updated on Thursday, 16 July 2009 15:37
Pitcher of the Week
Written by Administrator Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:09 Chris Bennett of the Big Bend Cowboys was named Pitcher of the Week in the Continental Baseball League. Chris appeared in relief in 3 consecutive games (4.0 IP total). He earned a save and a victory, allowing 0 ER, and recorded 4 strikeouts.
Cowboys Sign Outfielder Ellis
Written by Red Ruffansore Tuesday, 14 July 2009 17:36 COWBOYS SIGN OUTFIELDER ELLIS
ALPINE, Texas (July 14, 2009) – The Big Bend Cowboys announced today that they have signed centerfielder Lee Ellis, who played the past two seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Ellis, 24, played his college ball at California Lutheran University, where he was a classmate of Cowboys catcher Brett Urie. Ellis was a defensive standout for the Kingsmen and led the team in batting average (.353), home runs, total bases, triples, and runs scored.
The 6’2”, 210-pound Ellis spent 2007 with the Orioles’ rookie team in the Gulf Coast League, and last year was promoted to Aberdeen, where 6000-seat Ripken Stadium has been sold out for every game since 2002. For the Ironbirds, he played solid defense but hit only .210, struggling somewhat with the strike zone. He started this season with Aberdeen on the disabled list.
Cowboys manager Donnie Randell said he’s pleased to get a player with Ellis’s skills and experience. “He’s got all the tools,” said Randell, after Ellis worked out for this team earlier this week. “He can definitely help us in the outfield and from what we can see he can really hit, too. He’s been playing in a good organization, and that helps, too.”
Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 July 2009 18:19
Cowboys Win Series 3-1
Written by David Turpie Monday, 13 July 2009 08:34 The Big Bend Cowboys won a tightly contested series against the third place Texarkana Gunslingers this past weekend to continue their ascent in the CBL standings. The Cowboys are now a 0.5 game out of third place and only 3.5 out of second place. The Cowboys weathered less than stellar performances from their solid starting pitching roatation most of the weekend, but on Sunday righthander Curt Dixon (4-3) came through with five shutout innings while striking out four Gunslingers to secure his fourth win of the season and lower his ERA below 3.20. Stephen Szkotak delivered a multi-inning save (3) to secure the game and the series victory. Catcher Brett Urie was the Cowboys player of the game, going 2-4 at the plate with a game high 3 RBI’s.
For the series the Cowboys scored 28 runs, but gave up 25 runs to the Gunslingers to keep it close and competitive every inning of every game. Thursday night reliever Chris Bennett (2-0) came into the game in the 7th inning and pitched two solid innings striking-out two Gunslingers and giving-up no earned runs. The Player of the game was Eric Garcia who hit a walk-off game winning single in the ninth inning. Friday night the Cowboys came back from a 9-0 defecit early to tie the game and lose on an error in extra innings, but the game was a gritty and determined effort that won the Cowboys alot of respect. Designated Hitter Chris Dabbs was the player of the game for hitting a late three-run home run to get the Cowboys back in the game. Saturday night reliever Miles Morgan (1-0) secured his first victory of the season after stemming a Gunslingers rally and delivering a solid 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball. The Player of the game was Chris Bennett who secured his first save of the season in 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball in which he struck-out two Gunslingers.
The Cowboys will now face the fifth place South Louisiana Pipeliners for a four game home series this upcoming weekend. The Pipeliners went 1-3 down in Bay Area against the Toros this past weekend, but they are a resilient and talented group that won’t go down without a fight. The Cowboys will look to use the series as a springboard to continue moving up the standings in the CBL and attain a home playoff berth here in Alpine in the first round.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 July 2009 10:15
Boys Hold on For Win Over Texarkana
Written by Red Ruffansore Sunday, 12 July 2009 10:59 COWBOYS DOWN GUNSLINGERS 7-5
ALPINE, Texas (July 11, 2009) — The Big Bend Cowboys managed only seven hits—all singles—Saturday night at Kokernot Field. But they made them pay off, scoring six runs in the first inning and holding on for a 7-5 win over the visiting Texarkana Gunslingers. Seven different Cowboys scored in the game.
On a night when the Cowboys honored Sul Ross State University’s 1999 Conference Champion baseball team and saluted returning players from the school’s illustrious volleyball tradition, the ‘Boys played their best ball of the series. The Gunslingers, the runningest team in the CBL, went only 1-for-3 in stolen bases and Big Bend made several strong defensive plays, including a spectacular leaping double-play turned by second baseman Beau Manning.
Texarkana starter Alex Van Oeveren lasted only seven batters, giving up two walks, four hits, and an error, and was charged with six runs. Tyler French, the Gunslingers’ most reliable starter all year, came in to stop the bleeding. He allowed only one run in his 6-1/3 innings of relief.
The opening six-run lead gave starter Lance Luetge his biggest cushion of the season so far, but Texarkana scored twice in the fourth and put up three more as Luetge left the game with two outs in the top of the fifth. At that point Cowboy relievers Miles Morgan and Chris Bennett shut the door, holding the Gunslingers scoreless over the last 4-1/3 innings to preserve the win. Morgan (1-0) picked up his first win, and Bennett earned his first save.
Bennett, who dropped his team-leading ERA to 1.64, has been a thorn in Texarkana’s side all season. He’s 2-0 with a save, and has allowed no earned runs in 7 innings against the Gunslingers, while striking out 9. Morgan, since joining the Cowboys, has allowed only 8 hits in 15 innings, while posting a 1.80 ERA.
Eric Williams went 2-for-4, picking up his league-leading 42nd and 43rd hits, and raising league-leading average to .387. He also leads the league in on-base percentage at .524.
Texarkana’s Trey George, the league’s second leading hitter, smacked a pair of doubles, walked, and accounted for four of the Gunslingers’ five runs.
The two teams will meet again at 2:00 on Sunday at Kokernot Field in the series finale.
Cowboys Corral CBL Championship
Written by Rev. Barry A. Zavah Monday, 02 August 2010 20:42 Big Bend stops Las Cruces drive in 14-1 stampede.
Sooner or later, the unpredictable becomes predictable. That’s the same about lightning and pundits’ predictions. Throw out all the pre-Continental Baseball League Ferguson Jenkins Championship Series hype about how evenly matched the Big Bend Cowboys and Las Cruces Vaqueros were and that Game 3 of the series was going to be another nail bitter. Instead, Big Bend’s 14-1 blow-out of their arch-rivals in the rubber match threw all the 1-run games separating winner from loser season right off the quarried stone walls of Kokernot Field Saturday afternoon in Alpine, TX.
The odds were the faithful were in-store for another tight affair based upon the number of 1-run victories among the two clubs. On the back of the Cowboys 6-4 victory in Game 1 and the Vaqueros 4-3 nail biter win in Game 2, include the undeniable fact this magnificent baseball Championship Series seemed to be coming down to another potboiler for the series concluding Game 3.
Akin to the ace reliever coming out of the bullpen to toy with opposition batters, like a cat would with a frenzied mouse – the fans were the proverbial frenzied mouse. Yet, they were enjoying every-lovin’ minute of it; even as the bell tolled on the last three games in the history of the four year old Continental Baseball League, which folded with the final out of Game 3.
The nature of what was unfolding before the fans in remote, Far West Texas (read more)….
Written by Aaron Rodriguez Sunday, 01 August 2010 13:53 2010 Big Bend Cowboys Baseball
Las Cruces at Big Bend Cowboys – Play-by-Play
Jul 31, 2010 at Alpine, TX (Kokernot Field)
Score by Innings R H E
———————————————-
Las Cruces………. 000 100 0 00 – 1 8 3
Big Bend Cowboys…. 000 020 (12)0X – 14 13 2
———————————————-
Las Cruces starters: 6/2b Browne; 0/ss Gonzalez; 3/lf J. Lilly; 30/1b Notoro;
0/rf Detwiller; 0/dh Olson; 13/c Underkoffler; 9/3b M. Saum; 0/cf H. Fuentes;
32/p Guinn;
7/30 Play by Play
Written by Aaron Rodriguez Friday, 30 July 2010 00:00 2010 Big Bend Cowboys Baseball
Las Cruces at Big Bend Cowboys – Play-by-Play
Jul 30, 2010 at Alpine, TX (Kokernot Field)
Score by Innings R H E
——————————————-
Las Cruces………. 031 000 000 – 4 12 0
Big Bend Cowboys…. 001 000 200 – 3 8 0
——————————————-
Las Cruces starters: 6/2b Browne; 0/ss Gonzalez; 3/lf J. Lilly; 30/1b Notoro;
0/rf Detwiller; 0/dh Olson; 13/c Underkoffler; 9/3b M. Saum; 0/cf H. Fuentes;
0/p McNeal;
7/29 Play by Play
Written by Aaron Rodriguez Thursday, 29 July 2010 00:00 2010 Big Bend Cowboys Baseball Las Cruces at Big Bend Cowboys - Play-by-Play Jul 29, 2010 at Alpine TX (Kokernot Field) Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Las Cruces.......... 001 010 011 - 4 8 0 Big Bend Cowboys.... 100 302 00X - 6 9 2 ------------------------------------------- Las Cruces starters: 6/2b Browne; 40/dh Van Ostrund; 3/rf J. Lilly; 0/lf Olson; 0/ss Gonzalez; 0/3b Thomas; 30/1b Notoro; 0/cf H. Fuentes; 9/c M. Saum; 35/p Kramer; Big Bend Cowboys starters: 27/cf Hicks; 7/dh Dobre; 2/c Wells; 10/1b C. O'Neill; 28/3b N. Ochoa; 1/lf E. Garcia; 36/rf D. Stanfield; 14/2b J. Lucero; 16/ss C. Collins; 20/p J. Dale;Last Updated on Friday, 30 July 2010 13:59
Season Ends Early
Written by Regena G Tuesday, 20 July 2010 03:22 It has been announced that the CBL (Continental Baseball League) will cease to exist July 31, 2010. Therefore, the Cowboy’s 2010 season has been shortened by several games.
The good news is that the Cowboys WILL be back next year, and have been invited to join the Pecos League: www.pecosleague.com
There are still plenty of tickets available for the remaining games, so come on out and have some fun! The Championship two-out-of-three series is scheduled for July 29-31 at Kokernot Field and each game will begin at 7:00 PM. If there are any rain-outs they will be made up Sunday August the 1st.
More information regarding the Cowboy’s future will be available in August.
Cowboys split series with Vaqueros, stay atop CBL
Written by Steve Lang Monday, 12 July 2010 00:00 After six straight one-run contests with Las Cruces, the Cowboy bats erupted in Sunday’s 18-1 win to gain a series split.
Las Cruces won Thursday’s contest 8-7 and the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 2-1 before Big Bend rebounded for a 5-4 triumph in the nightcap. On Sunday, Anthony Gibbons tossed six shutout innings and Cory O’Neill and Cody Jones slammed three-run homers as the Cowboys scored 16 runs in the fifth through eighth innings.
The split kept the Cowboys in the Continental League lead with a 25-11 record, two games ahead of the Vaqueros, who have played four more contests. Big Bend hosts the Coastal Kingfish this week in what may be a seven-game series, due to earlier rainouts.
Cowboys stay atop loop with 6-4 win
Written by Steve Lang Monday, 05 July 2010 00:00 Big Bend’s five-run first inning provided Independence Day fireworks in a 6-4 win over the Coastal Kingfish.
The Cowboys improved to 23-9 and stayed atop the Continental League standings with Sunday’s victory. Rain forced postponement of the first three contests.
Following Tuesday’s (July 6) All-Star game at Kokernot Field, the Cowboys will host second-place Las Cruces in a key four-game set. Action begins at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (July 8-10), with a 2 p.m. finale Sunday (July 11).
Big Bend slapped six hits in the decisive first inning and Jimmy Dale allowed five hits, including Mike Devito’s solo homer over six frames. Reliever Nathan Molina worked out of an eighth-inning jam and Scott Shimek pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.
Back-to-back doubles by Mike Dobre and Kyle Wells started the scoring for the Cowboys in the bottom of the first. Nacho Ochoa rapped a two-run double two batters later, and RBI singles by Darryl Stanfield and Zach Welch completed the scoring.
Dale surrendered a lead-off homer to Devito to open the second and Ryan Pembroke followed with a single, but the right-hander was aided by a double play to escape further trouble. He retired eight straight batters from the fourth through sixth innings. Dale walked three and struck out four in improving to 5-1.
Welch’s infield out brought home the sixth Cowboy run in the bottom of the sixth, before the Kingfish struck for three runs in the next two frames. Coastal used three hits to score once off Reed Alfieri in the seventh, then loaded the bases on three straight walks by Kevin Coleman in the eighth. Molina spelled Coleman and allowed a sacrifice fly and RBI single by David Hall before ending the threat with a strikeout and a come-backer to the mound.
Shimek allowed a one-out walk in the ninth, but ended the game with the Cowboys’ third double play.
Wells and Welch slapped two hits apiece for the winners, while Eric Garcia, Tyler Hicks, Dobre, Ochoa and Stanfield added one each.
Trey George Update
Written by Regena G Monday, 28 June 2010 20:05 Trey George is now in Herman Memorial Hospital in Houston. Doctors in Houston are amazed that Trey survived such a fracture in his neck. Most do not. They attribute his survival to the tremendous shape he was in when he received the injury. Along with the neck fracture, he sustained a broken cheek, nose and several ribs. No definite word yet on the surgery before him.
Donation canisters for his medical expenses are located at Morrison’s True Value Hardware, Judy’s Bread and Breakfast, Ivey’s Emporium and Gifts, and the Longhorn Steak House! As soon as they are ready they will be placed in Porter’s Thriftway and other locations.
Cowboys Welcome Cooper
Written by Rev. Barry A. Zavah Monday, 28 June 2010 20:01 Saturday, June 26, 2010 What a difference 24 hours makes as the Big Bend Cowboys turned things around in style; welcoming newly signed RHP Kevin Cooper, former “Continental League Pitcher of the Year for 2008”, with all the offensive support a starter could dream of having. The Cowboys found their bats enjoyed making contact with the ball and committed no errors when it came time to hold the line on the Lions of Desert Valley Mountain in the top of each inning.
This was a display of
Cowboys Lasso Lions Claws
Written by Rev. Barry A. Zavah Monday, 28 June 2010 20:00 [Veteran journalist and sports writer, Steve Lang, is on vacation and will return to these pages next week for coverage of Big Bend Cowboys game day action and team news.]
Cowboys split great series with Lions 2-1, have sole possession of CBL lead…
Thursday June 24, 2010: “…sterling contributions from every aspect of their game”… Overcoming early trouble is a small portion of the good news coming out of Kokernot Stadium from the Big Bend Cowboys victory;
Putting the offense into overdrive
Written by By Rev. Barry A. Zavah Thursday, 24 June 2010 00:00 Thursday, June 24, 2010: Putting the offense into overdrive isn’t the entire the story behind the Big Bend Cowboys convincing win in the opener of a 4 game series against visiting Desert Mountain Valley Lions. The victory was built upon a sterling contribution from the offense and defense; notwithstanding the Lions pounced and drew first blood.
Starting LHP Mike Castrignano struck out two Lions in the 1st inning. However, his opening inning struggles continued – delayed into the 2nd and 3rd innings.
Friday, June 26, 2010: “Putting the offense into overdrive isn’t the entire the story behind the…convincing win… (in Game 2 of a 4 game series) … . The victory was built upon a sterling contribution from the offense and defense… .” This isn’t a replay of Thursday’s Big Bend Cowboy’s victory. The tune was the same; but a different band of brothers played it. The “sterling contribution” came from the team on the other side of the diamond.
Desert Valley Mountain Lions pounced and drew first
Putting the offense into overdrive
Written by By Rev. Barry A. Zavah Thursday, 24 June 2010 00:00 Thursday, June 24, 2010: Putting the offense into overdrive isn’t the entire the story behind the Big Bend Cowboys convincing win in the opener of a 4 game series against visiting Desert Mountain Valley Lions. The victory was built upon a sterling contribution from the offense and defense; notwithstanding the Lions pounced and drew first blood.
Starting LHP Mike Castrignano struck out two Lions in the 1st inning. However, his opening inning struggles continued – delayed into the 2nd and 3rd innings.
IG BEND COWBOYS, THEATRE OF THE BIG BEND OFFER JOINT “BASEBALL SEASON”
Written by Steve Lang Thursday, 27 May 2010 05:10 Hold onto those ticket stubs! The Theatre of the Big Bend and the Big Bend Cowboys offer a discount exchange for baseball action, both Broadway and Continental League style.
For three weekends beginning Friday, June 18, “Damn Yankees” will be performed at the Kokernot Outdoor Theatre, starting at 8:15 p.m.. Just down the road, each Thursday-Sunday, Big Bend Cowboys baseball will be played, at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays.
In a collaborative venture, anyone with a theatre ticket stub will receive $2 off on a chair-back seat at Kokernot Field. Cowboys’ ticket holders will receive the same discount for theatre performances.
According to J.R. Smith, Alpine Chamber of Commerce and Cowboys general manager, “watching a performance of ‘Damn Yankees’ will get everyone in the mood for a fun night at a real ball game.”
“Damn Yankees,” the Broadway musical based on the book, “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant,” will be directed by Dona W. Roman with musical direction by Dr. Erin Lippard. Performances will be held Friday-Sunday, June 18-July 3 at 8:15 p.m.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, will enjoy three four-game home series, June 17-20 against the Coastal Kingfish; June 24-27 against the Destert Valley Mountain Lions; and July 1-4 against the Kingfish.
“We are excited to be working alongside the Chamber of Commerce and the Big Bend Cowboys to bring you a summer of entertainment for the whole family,” said Roman.
Added Smith, “If one can’t be at the ball game, they need to be at the Theatre of the Big Bend. It should prove to be a very exciting year.”
Big Bend Cowboys games are now broadcast on the Cowboy’s website (www.BigBendcowboysBaseball.com) and the home games are also available on pod cast. There are still “Jump Houses” for kids this year. New this year, the Reata Restaurant is providing the concessions.
“We’re thrilled to announce that patrons can now purchase theatre tickets online via our Theatre of the Big Bend website (www.sulross.edu/tobb),” Roman said.
Cowboys win 3 of 4 vs. Desert Valley
Written by Steve Lang Thursday, 27 May 2010 05:09 Three solid starting performances produced victories as the Big Bend Cowboys won three of four games from the visiting Desert Valley Mountain Lions in last week’s Continental League action.
Big Bend claimed 17-4, 14-1 and 7-2 wins Thursday-Saturday nights, before the Mountain Lions used a pair of big innings to win 10-6 in Sunday’s finale.
The Cowboys, now 8-4, travel to Las Cruces, N.M. this week for a four-game set against the Vaqueros. Thursday-Saturday (May 27-29) games begin at 7 p.m. (MST) and Sunday’s (May 30) contest starts at 1 p.m. (MST). Las Cruces, 6-6, won three of four against the visiting Coastal Kingfish last week.
Big Bend slammed 15 hits, including three homers, to back Mike Castrignano’s stout pitching in Thursday night’s opener.
Castrignano yielded an unearned run in the first, then spun six shutout frames before he was relieved with one out in the eighth. By then, the Cowboys had amassed a 14-1 lead, sparked by round trippers from Darryll Stanfield in the second, a two-run blast by Cody Ross in the third and another two-run shot by Andrew Riddick in the seventh.
Ross finished with three hits, while Riddick, Stanfield, Trey George and Rene Ruiz poked two each. Nick Ogurchak, Javier Arrieta and Corey O’Neill also hit safely. Riddick George, Ross, Stanfield and Ogurchak had two RBI apiece.
Castrignano spaced five hits and four walks over seven and one-third frames to gain his first win of the year. He struck out five and departed after Jose Jaramillo’s two-run double in the eighth. Isaac Molina relieved, gave up a run-scoring single to John Horan, then struck out the next two batters. Lefty Georgio Fuda worked a perfect ninth.
Curt Dixon and three relievers combined for a two-hitter while their teammates exploded for 11 runs in the sixth and seventh innings in Friday night’s 14-1 win.
Dixon and Mountain Lions starter Chad Colestock were locked in a 1-1 duel through four innings. Back-to-back doubles by Garcia and Ruiz produced a Cowboys run in the second, while Desert Valley tied the score in the fourth on a walk, passed ball and two infield outs.
Zach Welch doubled to open the bottom of the fifth, then dove back into second safely after Colestock fielded Riddick’s grounder and attempted to catch Welch in a rundown. A walk to Cody Ross loaded the bases and Welch scored when George bounced into a short-to-second-to-first double play. Riddick added a second run when a relay from first to third went wild.
Dixon, who yielded just a first-inning single, escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the sixth, and the Cowboys’ bats went to work thereafter. Mountain Lions reliever Gilbert Silva was greeted by Stanfield’s single, then hit Garcia with a pitch before striking out Ruiz. Stanfield stole third before pinch-hitter Arrieta drew a walk to load the bases. Welch singled home Stanfield, and with two down, Ross drew a bases-loaded walk and George drilled a two-run single for a 7-1 edge.
Big Bend reliever Jordan Crystal loaded the bases on two walks and a single to start the seventh, but fanned the next two hitters and retired the third on a grounder. The Cowboys erupted for seven more runs in the bottom half, using seven hits and two errors. Arrieta, Riddick, pinch-hitter Cody Collins, George, Brett Urie and Garcia all drove in runs.
Scott Shimek fanned the side in the eighth and Reed Alfierie worked a perfect ninth to wrap up the win. Welch finished with three hits in as many trips, while Arrieta, Ruiz, Garcia and Stanfield had two apiece. Riddick, Ogurchak, George and O’Neill also hit safely.
Jimmy Dale spaced four hits over seven innings and Collins doubled, tripled, homered and walked in four trips as the Cowboys gained a 7-2 win over the visiting Desert Valley Mountain Lions Saturday evening.
Collins tripled home a run in the fourth, cracked a solo homer in the sixth and doubled and scored in the eighth. Dale gained his third win of the young season, striking out three, walking one and allowing only one earned run.
O’Neill doubled and singled, Riddick poked two singles, Stanfield tripled and Urie rapped a double in the victory. Arrieta added a single and turned a double play with the bases loaded to curtail a fifth-inning Lions threat.
Corace Lee and John Horan slammed two-run homers as the Mountain Lions, 3-5, held off the Cowboys 10-6 in Sunday’s series finale.
Lee connected to cap a four-run third and Horan’s blow culminated a three-run ninth. Desert Valley built a 6-0 lead after three frames and never trailed.
The Cowboys scored twice in the third on RBI doubles by George and O’Neill and used two-baggers by Welch, Collins and Ross to tally two more in the fourth. Andrew Riddick slammed a solo homer in the sixth and Eric Garcia singled in a run in the seventh. Riddick homered and singled twice, while George doubled and singled twice. Ross, Garcia and Welch had two hits each. Darryll Stanfield and Collins also hit safely.
Starter Anthony Gibbons (2-1) took the loss for the Cowboys, with six pitchers working in relief. The Cowboys hit into four double plays in the game.
Boot tracks…Welch leads the Cowboys in hitting with a .448 average, 13 hits in 29 at-bats, while Riddick (.431) has a team-high 22 hits and 14 runs…George (.326) has a team-best 14 RBI….Garcia (.400), O’Neill (.368), Stanfield (.351), Garcia Ross (.308) and Collins (.300) are all above the .300 plateau, while Ruiz is batting .290….Urie is hitting .417 and Arrieta .276 in part-time duty….Dixon has allowed just five hits and seven walks with no earned runs in 18 innings, striking out 15….Dale has a 2.89 ERA over 18 and two-thirds frames….Shimek has a 2.25 ERA in eight innings of relief.
Series Highlights
Written by Regena G Monday, 24 May 2010 00:55 Thursday: Big Bend slammed 15 hits, including three homers, to back Mike Castrignano’s stout pitching in Thursday night’s 17-4 win over the Desert Valley Mountain Lions. Castrignano yielded an unearned run in the first, then spun six shutout frames before he was relieved with one out in the eighth. By then, the Cowboys had amassed a 14-1 lead, sparked by roundtrippers from Darryll Stanfield in the second, a two-run blast by Cody Ross in the third and another two-run shot by Andrew Riddick in the seventh. Ross finished with three hits, while Riddick, Stanfield, Trey George and Rene Ruiz poked two each.
Friday: Curt Dixon and three relievers combined for a two-hitter while their teammates exploded for 11 runs in the sixth and seventh innings in Friday night’s 14-1 win. Dixon and Mountain Lions starter Colestock were locked in a 1-1 duel through four innings. Back-to-back doubles by Garcia and Ruiz produced a Cowboys run in the second, while Desert Valley tied the score in the fourth on a walk, passed ball and two infield outs. Zach Welch doubled to open the bottom of the fifth, then dove back into second safely after Colestock fielded Riddick’s grounder and attempted to catch Welch in a rundown. A walk to Cody Ross loaded the bases and Welch scored when George bounced into a short-to-second-to-first double play. Riddick added a second run when a relay from first to third went wild. Welch and Trey George had run-scoring singles in a four-run sixth, and the Cowboys erupted for seven runs on seven hits in the seventh.
Saturday: Jimmy Dale spaced four hits over seven innings and Cody Collins doubled, tripled, homered and walked in four trips as the Cowboys gained a 7-2 win over the visiting Desert Valley Mountain Lions Saturday evening. Collins tripled home a run in the fourth, cracked a solo homer in the sixth and doubled and scored in the eighth. Dale gained his third win of the young season, striking out three, walking one and allowing only one earned run. Corey O’Neill doubled and singled, Andrew Riddick poked two singles, Darryll Stanfield tripled and Brett Urie rapped a double in the victory.
Sunday: Corace Lee and John Horan slammed two-run homers as the Desert Valley Mountain Lions, 3-5, held off the Cowboys 10-6 in Sunday’s series finale. Lee connected to cap a four-run third and Horan’s blow culminated a three-run ninth. Desert Valley built a 6-0 lead after three frames and never trailed. The Cowboys scored twice in the third on RBI doubles by Trey George and Corey O’Neill and used two-baggers by Zach Welch, Cody Collins and Cody Ross to tally two more in the fourth. Andrew Riddick slammed a solo homer in the sixth and Eric Garcia singled in a run in the seventh. Riddick homered and singled twice, while Ross, George, Garcia and Welch had two hits each. Darryll Stanfield and Collins also hit safely. Starter Anthony Gibbons took the loss for the Cowboys, with six pitchers working in relief. The Cowboys hit into four double plays in the game.
5/6 Game Play-by-play
Written by Regena G Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:00 2010 Big Bend Cowboys Baseball
Las Cruces at Big Bend Cowboys – Play-by-Play
May 06, 2010 at Alpine, Texas (Kokernot Field)
Score by Innings R H E
——————————————-
Las Cruces………. 000 000 600 – 6 10 2
Big Bend Cowboys…. 103 000 000 – 4 7 3
Cowboys rally to win 3 of 4 at Las Cruces
Written by Regena G Tuesday, 18 May 2010 20:01 Stung by a series-opening 14-6 loss, the Big Bend Cowboys regrouped to win the last three games of their Continental League series at Las Cruces.
Strong starting pitching and timely bats led the Cowboys to a 6-4, 8-2 and 6-3 wins in the next three outings.
Now 5-3, the Cowboys return home this week for a four-game set against the Desert Valley Mountain Lions at Kokernot Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (May 20-22) and 2 p.m. Sunday (May 23). The Mountain Lions, 2-2, split a four-game set with the Coastal Kingfish last weekend.
Las Cruces used a seven-run third inning against lefty Mike Castrignano to spur the victory.
Nick “Nacho” Ochoa slugged a two-run homer, his second of the year.
On Friday night, righthander Curt Dixon surrendered just three hits and two unearned runs over six frames and the Cowboys rallied from a 2-1 deficit to even the series. Reliever Scott Schimex curtailed a Vaqueros threat in the bottom of the ninth.
Zach Welch and Andrew Riddick each smacked three hits and drove in two runs, while Cody Collins added two safeties and two RBI. Javier Arrieta and Darryll Stanfield each had two hits and scored twice. Big Bend had 12 hits in all
Dixon gained his first win of the year, striking out five and walking two. He has not allowed an earned run over 12 innings.
A four-run first and a three-run third gave starter Jimmy Dale plenty of support in Saturday night’s 8-2 win. Dale (2-0) spaced six hits and four walks over six innings, fanning six, while Steve Szkotak pitched one-hit ball over the last three frames to gain the save.
Trey George and Eric Garcia rapped two hits apiece and both drove in two runs. Riddick, Cody Ross and Brett Urie contributed two hits each in the Cowboys’ 11-hit offensive. Rene Ruiz also hit safely.
Anthony Gibbons posted his second win of the year Sunday as the Cowboys erased a 3-2 deficit in the seventh in Sunday’s series finale.
Gibbons carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth before former Cowboy Henry Fuentes slammed a three-run homer for a brief 3-2 Las Cruces edge. Stanfield’s two-run double in the seventh produced the tying and go-ahead runs, and Big Bend added single markers in the eighth and ninth.
Schimex tossed three hitless, scoreless innings to gain the save. Gibbons spaced six hits and a walk over the first six frames.
Stanfield, George, Riddick, Ross, Welch and Corey O’Neill had two hits apiece, while Justin Lucero, acquired in the trade for Fuentes, had one.
Boot tracks…Riddick slapped 10 hits in 18 at-bats to raise his team-leading average to .429…Welch (.421), O’Neill (.391), Garcia (.389), Stanfield (.381) and George (.308) are all hitting above .300, as the Cowboys are averaging .317….George leads the team with 10 RBI….Cowboy starting pitchers have a 5-1 record with a combined 2.44 earned run average.
Here are some photos from the 2009/2010 10 year reunion held in Alpine for all Big Bend/Alpine Cowboys alumni. They were taken July 4, 2019 and on the team’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlpineCowboys/photos/a.710225722371275/2810144192379407/ and https://www.facebook.com/AlpineCowboys/photos/a.710225722371275/2810144245712735/
Images
Audios
PRX radio interview featuring JR Smith, Donnie Randell, and more: https://beta.prx.org/stories/55302
Videos
We found a video streaming a game from the 2009 championship between the Aces and the Big Bend Cowboys, but it now no longer exists. The original link was here – so please help us locate the game on video if you have an archive of it. Thank you!
Here is a video clip from a 2010 Big Bend Cowboys game:
Clip of a dizzy bat race from Big Bend in 2010:
Here are more videos from the “Gogosaitama” YouTube channel from the 2010 Big Bend Cowboys season:
Here is a video from an at-bat by 2010 Big Bend Cowboys player Josh Walker:
2010 Alpine Avalanche articles about the Cowboys:
- April 22 – Brooks seeks to be first woman pro of century
- April 29 – Cowboys invite Sully pitcher
- May 13 – Cowboys split four
- May 20 – Cowboys rally to win 3 of 4 at Las Cruces
- May 27 – Cowboys take three of four
- June 3 – Cowboys drop 3 of 4 to Las Cruces
- June 3 – On Deck
- June 10 – Cowboys lasso Desert Valley
- June 18 – Cowboys hook Kingfish
- June 24 – Publisher’s Desk: Cowboys GM says team has staying power
- June 24 – One athlete hospitalized, one jailed after melee
- June 24 – Cowboys reel in Coastal Kingfish: Big Bend nine retake CBL’s top-spot with strong showing
- July 2 – Cowboys split series, stay in first
- July 2 – This Cowboy is home on the range
- July 8 – Weekend win keeps Cowboys atop standings
- July 8 – All-star pitcher leads the good life as a Cowboy
- July 15 – Continental Baseball League to cease play
- July 15 – Split keeps Cowboys atop CBL
- July 15 – O’Neill swings hot bat for Big Bend Cowboys
- July 22 – Sweep keeps Cowboys atop CBL
- July 29 – Cowboys to host Las Cruces for CBL title
- July 29 – Young pitcher will leave with fond memories of Alpine
- August 5 – Cowboys close CBL book with a bang
- August 5 – Champs! Cowboys capture CBL title to close season
- September 16 – Publisher’s Desk: Good plan for Cowboys baseball
- September 16 – Baseball backers go nonprofit route
2009 Alpine Avalanche articles about the Cowboys
Due to the archiving algorithm of the Wayback Machine, the 2009 articles are more difficult to find than those from the 2010 season. However we did find one article, and we will add more if we are able to find others from the Cowboys’ first season in the CBL.