By Greg Perkins Snowflake opened the 2016 baseball season with a 10-2 home diamond win over Camelback last Tuesday. The Lobos followed that up with a 1-3 performance at the Panther Invitational held over the weekend. Following an opening win over the host team Amphitheater on Thursday, the Lobos dropped three one-run games, losing to J.M. Hanks from Texas, 7-6, Desert Christian, 4-3 on Friday, and falling to Catalina 3-2 on Saturday. In Tuesday’s opener the Lobos gave up two first inning runs, then shut down the Camelback visitors the rest of the way. Snowflake pounded out nine hits with three triples. Tyler Claridge was 1 for 4; JR Fox, 2 for 3 with two triples; Tyler Hansen, 2 for 4; Marc McCleve, 1 for 1; Ty Pawlick, 1 for 4; and Tarren Reidhead, 2 for 4 with a triple. Reidhead also got the job done on the hill, giving up just one hit. In their first tournament game vs. Amphitheatre, Snowflake scored twice in the first to open the game, and didn’t give up a run to the host team until they scored two in the bottom of the seventh in the 4-2 Snowflake win. At the plate, Claridge went 1 for 4; Hansen, 2 for 4; McCleve, 1 for 1; Pawlick, 1 for 4; and Reidhead, 2 for 4 with a triple. Reidhead earned the win on the hill, working five innings with just two runs allowed on one hit with five strikeouts and a pair of walks. Facing J.M. Hanks of El Paso, Texas, the Lobos took the early lead with three runs in the second inning. That lead gave way in the fifth, though, as Hanks scored five runs. Snowflake’s seventh inning rally came up short by two runs in the seventh as the Lobos 7-6. Claridge went 1 for 3; Fox, 1 for 4; Hansen, 1 for 4; McCleve, 1 for 2; Pawlick, 1 for 4; Reidhead, 1 for 3 with a home run; JT Tate, 1 for 2; and Wacey Wood, 1 for 2. Pawlick and Fernando Quintana combined to work six innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks. Against Desert Christian Snowflake, scored all three of its runs in the third inning, while Desert Christian scattered four runs through four of the seven innings to secure the 4-3 win. Claridge went 1 for 2; Hansen, 1 for 2; Jesus Juarez, 1 for 1; Koy Kelley, 1 for 2; Pawlick, 1 for 1; and Reidhead, 2 for 2 with his second home run of the tourney. Their final game of the tournament resulted in a 3-2 loss to Catalina. The Lobos led 2-1 going into the sixth, which is where they gave up the lead for good. They had just two hits in the game, with Jake Lyman going 1 for 2 with a double and Tate going 1 for 3. Fox worked six innings, giving up just three runs on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks. After playing at Payson on Tuesday, the Lobos, now 2-3 overall, will host Maryvale today (March 9). On Friday, March 11, they travel to Fountain Hills.