FARMINGTON – A pair of local high school baseball teams will attempt to bring back the coveted blue trophy to San Juan County when they take the field in second round action of the NMAA state tournament.
Piedra Vista, the No. 4 seed in the Class 5A tournament, and Bloomfield, the No. 10 seed in the Class 4A bracket, advanced into the quarterfinal stage of their respective tournaments after winning their opening round series last weekend.
The Panthers, who have been ranked at or near the top of the Class 5A rankings for much of the season, clobbered Clovis by a combined margin of 29-9 in their two wins over the Wildcats.
Coached by Jeff Kiraly, Piedra Vista has been steady on the mound this season led by senior pitcher JW Bayless, as well as in the field where shortstop Eliyas Barton and second baseman Cody Clugston have kept run-scoring opportunities at a minimum for their opposition.
The Panthers will face off Thursday against the No. 12 seed Las Cruces, the only lower seeded team to advance in the Class 5A bracket. The Bulldawgs swept No. 5 Centennial High last weekend by scores of 1-0 and 2-0.
Las Cruces is led by longtime head coach Gil Padilla, who’s won more than 400 games with the Bulldawgs. On the field, the team features senior Isaiah Borunda, with his .415 batting average, 23 stolen bases and 28 runs scored this season.
On the mound, Las Cruces has a pair of strong arms, including seniors Gunnar Guardiola and Armando Gonzalez. The two pitchers have combined for 89 strikeouts with a collective earned run average of 2.28 this season.
Thursday’s winner between Piedra Vista and Las Cruces will advance to the Class 5A semifinals and will face either top-seeded Rio Rancho or No. 8 Mayfield.
Since 2018, no high school baseball team from San Juan County has won the state championship. The Farmington High squad, coached at that time by Sean Trotter, wrapped up a 24-5 season with a perfect district campaign and a Class 5A state championship game victory over Goddard.
That same season, Piedra Vista reached the Class 6A finals under Kiraly with a record of 23-8 and a championship game loss against La Cueva.
Bloomfield got within a game of the Class 4A state title last spring. The Bobcats lost to Artesia by a score of 6-3, finishing the season with a record of 24-7 and its second consecutive district championship, and first state championship appearance since 2010.
Coached by Anthony Valencia, 10th-seeded Bobcats advanced to Thursday’s Clsss 4A quarterfinal game against No. 2 Goddard after sweeping Aztec in the first round series. The Rockets come into the quarterfinals after sweeping Bernalillo over the weekend.
Bloomfield boasts several offensive stars, including shortstop Troy Jaramillo (.474 BA), outfielder Gavin Pecotte (.443) and Elias Munoz (.433). Johnny Yates leads the team with a .612 on base percentage and Cable Carruth leads the squad with three home runs.
Goddard senior Jaden Fuentes comes into the quarterfinals with a .408 batting average and five home runs on the season. Junior pitcher Jadon Herrera led the Rockets with 59 strikeouts and a 0.88 earned run average while going 6-1 on the season.
The winner of the Bloomfield vs. Goddard contest will advance to the Class 5A semifinals against either No. 3 Santa Teresa or No. 6 Hope Christian.