« Back

Sandia Prep Baseball Captures State Title in Dramatic Game

May 24th, 2023


Sandia Prep’s Varsity Baseball team captured its eighth State Championship in dramatic fashion with a nail-biting, last-minute, come-from-behind win over Ruidoso.

The Sundevils didn’t score a run through the first six innings and were down 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh. Then, they scored five runs in their last at-bat of regulation play to tie the game with two outs.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, eighth-grader Logan Lemons ’27 hit a double to score Chris Andrick ’23 from third base to win the game 6-5 and snag the 3A baseball state title.

“We’re extremely young, but we were led by three quality seniors,” Sandia Prep Coach Scott Brandt told the Albuquerque Journal, highlighting Lucas Lemons ’23, Sam Treme ’23, and Chris Andrick ’23.

The championship game was held at the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Albuquerque Regional Sports Complex, which holds special meaning for freshman Josh Riordan ’26: The field is named for his mom, and the win came on Mother’s Day weekend.

“I was just glad to do that for my mom,” Josh told KOB-TV. “It just felt special. It felt more of a moment for me to win something special like that on a field like that.”

Jennifer Riordan was a community leader and philanthropist who died in a tragic airline accident in 2018. The City of Albuquerque named the sports complex after her in 2019 to recognize her compassionate spirit. Josh’s sister, Averie ’24, also attends Prep.

On the heels of their remarkable win, several Sandia Prep Varsity Baseball players were named to the All District Team: Logan Lemons ’27, Landon Hardcastle ’26, Chris Gist ’25, Sam Treme ’23, Lucas Lemons ’23, and Chris Andrick ’23.

Lucas Lemons ’23 was named Player of the Year, and Varsity Baseball Coach Scott Brandt was named Coach of the Year. Congrats!