FARMINGTON – The Rio Rancho High softball team used a late-inning power surge to pull away from Piedra Vista on Friday at the Sports Complex, racking up five home runs to secure a 15-8 victory.
Lilyrose Larrabee and Allyson Hooker led the charge for the Rams (10-9 overall, 2-2 District 1-5A), combining for three home runs and driving the offense during critical stretches in the sixth and seventh innings.
Rio Rancho jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Larrabee doubled to right field, scoring Mila Gonzales. The Rams extended that lead to 6-0 in the second, highlighted by a two-run blast from Jordyn Temorio and an RBI triple by Maysyn Thomas.
Piedra Vista (14-6 overall, 2-2 District) refused to go quietly, clawing back into the game in the bottom of the fifth. Capitalizing on a bases-loaded error and a two-RBI double by Isabella Jessee, the Panthers capped a four-run rally to knot the game at 8-8.
However, the momentum shifted back to Rio Rancho in the top of the sixth. Kianna Lambert broke the tie with an RBI double before Hooker delivered a towering three-run home run to left field, pushing the lead to 12-8.
The Rams added insurance in the seventh as Larrabee and Elena Coca hit back-to-back home runs. Larrabee’s two-run shot to right and Coca’s solo blast to center field put the game out of reach.
Larrabee went 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles, and three RBIs for Rio Rancho. The Panthers were led by Jessee, who finished the day with two hits, including a crucial two-run double in the fifth.
Piedra Vista has lost two in a row and will look to bounce back Tuesday at 4 p.m. when they face crosstown and district rival Farmington at the Sports Complex.
A pair of rough early innings proved too much for the Farmington High softball team to overcome Friday on the road, as the Scorpions fell 12-2 to Cibola in a five-inning contest.
Cibola (9-11 overall, 2-2 District 1-5A) used a combination of patient hitting and aggressive baserunning to exploit 10 walks and three Farmington errors, ending the game early via the run rule.
The Cougars established dominance early. After Ava Benavidez led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored on an Angelica Baca single, Gabrielle Moncada added a sacrifice fly to give Cibola a 2-0 cushion.
The Cougars scoring continued in the home half of the second inning. Cibola plated four runs despite recording only two hits in the frame.
Farmington (9-11, 0-4) showed signs of life in the third. Braylayna Bekise and Tiana Pete drew walks before Alba Allen drove a hard ground ball into center field for an RBI single. Pete later scored on a throwing error by the catcher to cut the deficit to 6-2, but the Scorpions left the bases loaded when Jazlyn Zunie grounded into a fielder’s choice.
Cibola put the game away in the fourth with a five-run outburst. Benavidez doubled again and scored on an error, followed by RBI singles from A. Varela and A. Joyce. Another wild pitch allowed M. Melvin to cross the plate, pushing the score to 11-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Benavidez was hit by a pitch and eventually scored the game-ending run on a line-drive single by Moncada to right field.
In a high-scoring battle that saw four home runs and 20 combined runs, the Gallup High softball team used an eight-hit barrage in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally past Kirtland Central 11-9 on Friday.
The Broncos (14-6 overall, 2-2 District 1-4A) entered the bottom of the sixth clinging to an 8-6 lead, but the Bengals offense ignited for five runs to snatch the victory.
The late-game heroics for Gallup began with a Kirtland Central error that allowed Scottlynn Torres to score, cutting the deficit to one. Jaylah Greene tied the game with a sharp RBI triple to left field before Madison Martinez doubled to right to give Gallup its first lead since the first inning.
Leia Tso and Cheyenne Panzy capped the rally with back-to-back RBI doubles to left field, extending the Gallup advantage to 11-8.
Kirtland Central attempted a comeback in the top of the seventh. Cailyn Belin launched her second home run of the game – a solo shot to center field – to lead off the inning and pull the Broncos within two.
However, Martinez, who came into the circle in the fifth inning replacing starter Morgan Belone induced a flyout to right field to end the threat and secure the win.
Gallup (10-7 overall, 4-0 District) will be on the road Tuesday to face Shiprock while Kirtland Central will play host to Aztec on Tuesday night.