KIRTLAND – The Aztec High baseball team wrapped up the District 1-4A title on the road, shutting out Kirtland Central by a final of 10-0.
The win ends the regular season for both squads, with Aztec finishing on a nine-game win streak and an overall record of 20-6. The Tigers (9-1 District) are currently ranked seventh in the most recent Maxpreps polling, meaning they will likely host a first round best two-of-three series in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament which gets underway on Friday.
The Tigers used a combination of aggressive baserunning and timely extra-base hits to build a lead that the Broncos could never threaten.
Aztec jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Jace Archuleta crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Kirtland Central’s Jakob Little. The Tigers doubled their advantage in the second when Uriah Gonzales scored following a throwing error by Little.
The pressure continued as Hayden Eaton reached third and eventually scored on another Bronco error, this time by second baseman Aeneas Clitso, pushing the lead to 3-0. Archuleta then added a sacrifice bunt to bring home courtesy runner Ayden Platero, extending the cushion to four.
Junior pitcher Cory Douglas performed well on the mound, striking out eight, walking two and allowing only three hits over 4 2/3 innings.
The Tigers bats warmed up in the middle innings. In the third, Eaton drove a ground ball into left field for an RBI single, scoring Izra Sanchez. Jadyn Brooks followed with a line-drive single that brought Eaton home, making it 6-0.
In the fourth, Christian Holmes padded the lead with a fly-ball double to left, scoring Kale Watson. Sanchez later scored after Eaton was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, moving the score to 8-0.
Aztec put the finishing touches on the victory in the fifth inning. Tyler Ray doubled to left field to drive in Archuleta, who had reached via a walk and moved up on a steal and a wild pitch. Holmes then capped the scoring with an RBI single to left, bringing Ray home for the 10th and final run.
Aztec, led by head coach Colter Faverino, earned its first District 1-4A title since the 2022 season which ended with a loss in the Class 4A semifinals to Albuqurque Academy. The 20-win total is the first time to reach that mark since that same season.
The Broncos season likely came to an end with Thursday’s loss. Ranked 20th in Class 4A by Maxpreps, Kirtland Central (10-16 overall, 6-4 District) will await word from the New Mexico Activities Association when seedings and pairing are announced for the Class 4A tournament.
Johnny Yates delivered a performance for the highlight reels, driving in six runs to lead Bloomfield High team to an 11-0 shutout victory Thursday at home over Miyamura.
Bloomfield set the tone in the bottom of the first. With two runners on, Yates ripped a hard ground ball past third base to plate Cable Carruth and Troy Jaramillo, giving the Bobcats an immediate 2-0 cushion.
Yates was far from finished. In the second inning, after the Bobcats loaded the bases, he worked a full count before launching a towering fly ball over the left-field fence. The grand slam cleared the bags, scoring Jaramillo, Carruth, and Manuel Chavarria to push the lead to 6-0.
Marcus Garcia kept the momentum swinging later in the inning, beat out a ground ball to third for an RBI single that scored Ben Haber.
The onslaught continued in the third. Manuel Chavarria joined the extra-base hit parade, lining a double to center field that drove in Carruth and Jaramillo.
With two runners in scoring position following a passed ball, Elias Munoz capped the night’s scoring by tattooing a line-drive double to center. The hit brought home both Chavarria and Yates, extending the lead to 11-0 and ensuring a short night for the Patriots.
Bobcats starting pitcher Elias Munoz allowed only four hits and walked none over five complete innings, striking out three batters in the win.
Bloomfield finishes second in the District 1-4A standings with an overall record of 17-9 (8-2 District) despite handing Aztec its only loss during the district campaign. Currently ranked 10th in Class 4A, the Bobcats will likely advance to the state tournament which opens on Friday.
The Navajo Prep baseball team swept Zuni in a District 1-3A doubleheader at home on Thursday, topping the Thunderbirds by scores of 9-4 and 6-0. The pair of wins caps off a 7-1 run in District 1-3A play, finishing in a tie atop the district standings.
By virtue of a tiebreaker with Tohatchi in which the Eagles scored more runs than the Cougars in their only games against each other, Navajo Prep wins the district title. Navajo Prep finishes the regular season with a record of 13-11 and are currently ranked 13th in the classification by Maxpreps.
Tohatchi, despite having a better overall regular season record (17-4), will settle for second in the district race. Both Navajo Prep and Tohatchi are likely to advance to the Class 3A state tournament when seedings are announced on Sunday by the NMAA.
In the opening game of the doubleahder, the Eagles broke open a scoreless tie in the second inning with a five-run outburst. Liam Begay and Kiyrinzo Ignacio-Frank sparked the rally with back-to-back RBI singles. Begay pushed the lead to 3-0 by successfully stealing home.
Jashyro Bileen added a line-drive RBI double to center field, later scoring himself on a wild pitch to cap the inning.
Zuni mounted a comeback in the fourth, taking advantage of a balk and a series of Navajo Prep errors. Pinte Untestine and Terrance Smith each collected RBI singles, and TJ Posedo crossed the plate on a groundout to trim the Eagles’ lead to 6-4.
However, the Eagles regained control in the sixth. Khol Johnson provided the final blow, lining a triple to center field that drove in Keith Dodge and Dontayus Tsosie to seal the five-run victory.
In the nightcap, the Eagles’ pitching staff and defense took center stage, keeping the Thunderbirds off the board entirely.
The offense was led early by Keith Dodge, who dropped an RBI single to left, followed by a hard-hit RBI grounder from Jeremy Arviso that scored Khol Johnson.
Navajo Prep extended the lead in the third. After Dodge scored on a wild pitch, Liam Begay and Koltyn Holyan delivered consecutive RBI singles to left field, stretching the margin to 5-0.
Dodge struck again in the sixth, recording his second RBI single of the game to score Kayden Nez and finalize the 6-0 shutout.