RIO RANCHO – Behind a dominant five-RBI performance from the heart of the order and a gritty complete-game effort from Kamora Henry, the Aztec High softball team rolled to an 11-4 victory over Silver High on Thursday at Cleveland High School.
The win keeps the No. 2 seeded Tigers in the driver’s seat of the Class 4A winners bracket, and a showdown Friday at noon against top-seeded Artesia. The winner of that game will advance to the Class 4A championship round game beginning Saturday morning at the UNM Softball Complex.
The Tigers have won 10 straight games, and in that time have outscored their opponents by a total of 81-16.
Aztec (21-5 overall) wasted no time establishing itself in the first inning. After Cheyenne Yellow reached on a two-out single, Henry worked a walk to set the stage for Kayci Phillips, who unloaded on a line drive to center field for a three-run home run, staking the Tigers to a quick 3-0 lead.
No. 3 seeded Silver answered with an unearned run in the bottom half of the frame following an Aztec outfield error, but the Tigers’ offense remained relentless.
In the second, Ayasha Yellow sparked a rally with a one-out double to right. Cheyenne Yellow followed with an RBI single, and three batters later, Henry laced a two-run single to center, extending the Aztec cushion to 6-1.
“We talked about setting the tone early in the winners bracket,” said Aztec head coach. “Kayci’s home run gave us the breath we needed, and Kamora did a great job pitching to contact and letting her defense work, even when things got a little shaky behind her.”
Henry earned the win in the circle, navigating through four Aztec errors. She struck out five and remained composed during a high-leverage second inning where she stranded two runners after Kenia Nieto had doubled for the Lady Colts.
The Tigers broke the game open for good in the sixth. Leading 6-2, Cheyenne Yellow drove a hard ground ball into left for an RBI double. Cami Lucio followed with an RBI single of her own. With the bases loaded and two outs, Sydney Lee provided the knockout blow, a bases-clearing triple to right field that scored three and pushed the lead to 11-2.
Silver attempted a late comeback, scoring runs in the sixth and seventh innings courtesy of an Alivia Beck RBI double and a Jaelynn Cardenas single, but Henry induced a flyout to third base to seal the win.
Cheyenne Yellow finished the day 4-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Lee’s triple accounted for three RBIs, while Phillips’ first-inning blast accounted for three.
For Silver, Mia Sanchez went 4-for-4 at the top of the lineup, but the Lady Colts struggled to find the timely hit, finishing the game with 10 runners left on base. Azariah Madrid took the loss, striking out eight but allowing 11 hits.
Silver (21-8 overall) falls into the consolation bracket after seeing their 14-game win streak come to an end. They will hope to stave off elimination Friday morning against No. 9 Goddard.
Easton Myhre drove in five runs, including a three-run home run, and Kirtland Central kept its season alive with a dominant 15-0 victory over Belen in a Class 4A elimination game on Thursday afternoon at Cleveland High.
The No. 7 seeded Broncos combined a relentless extra-base hit barrage with disciplined situational hitting to overwhelm the Eagles, ending the game early via the run rule.
Kirtland Central established control in the first inning when Hailey Loyd grounded an RBI single to center to score Elecica Sands. The lead grew to 3-0 in the second when Kaytanna Chee scorched a two-run double that brought home Sands and Cailyn Belin.
The floodgates opened fully in the third inning as Kirtland Central hung 10 runs on the board. Myhre began her career day with a two-run triple to right field, scoring Angelique Denarend and Kiana Tsosie. Belin followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 6-0.
Following a Belen infield error that allowed two more runs to cross, Loyd and Tsosie added RBI singles to make it 10-0. Myhre then capped the 10-run frame by drilling a 2-0 pitch over the center-field fence for a three-run homer.
Loyd finished the scoring in the fourth, lining a two-run triple to right to push the final margin to 15.
Myhre finished the day 2-for-3 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Loyd was equally perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs.
Defensively, the Broncos were anchored by Rory Benally, who struck out four and allowed only a hit and a pair of walks. The Broncos infield allowed no room for a Belen comeback. The Eagles saw their season come to an end with the loss.
With the win, Kirtland Central advances further into the elimination bracket, facing No. 5 Lovington on Friday at 9:30 a.m.
Las Cruces High’s softball team wasted no time asserting its dominance in the Class 5A state tournament, exploding for nine runs in the first inning to overwhelm Piedra Vista 14-5 on Thursday.
The No. 10 seeded Bulldawgs (17-12 overall) used a relentless power display, highlighted by two first-inning home runs, to put the Panthers in an early hole from which they could never quite climb.
Krista Barela sparked the initial onslaught, tattooing a two-run home run to left field. Moments later, Erica Silva cleared the bases with a three-run blast to center field, shocasing an offense that saw Las Cruces send 13 batters to the plate. Amaya Pinedo and Cami Munda also added RBI singles during the rally to make it 9-0 before the Panthers even took a swing.
Piedra Vista refused to fold early, responding with a four-run flurry in the bottom of the first. Michaela Perea and Raegan Lefebre each laced RBI doubles, and Tiyana Royce cut the deficit to 9-4 with a two-run single to center.
The Panthers added another run in the second when Isabella Jessee doubled to right to score Druscilla Nabors, pulling Piedra Vista within four.
However, the Las Cruces offense found its second wind in the third. Emma Madrid drove a line-drive single to right to score Zaysha Hawkins, and Denae DiMatteo followed with an RBI double to push the lead to 11-5.
The Bulldawgs added three more insurance runs in the fourth. After an error allowed Silva to score, Barela capped her big day with a two-run single to left, scoring Hawkins and Anisa Saenz.
Barela finished the game with four RBIs to lead the Bulldawgs, while Silva’s three-run homer provided the early knockout blow.
Piedra Vista’s Jessee and Perea each finished with two hits in the loss. The No. 6 seeded Panthers now face a steep climb through the elimination bracket, starting Frifay morning against No. 9 Centennial, while Las Cruces advances in the winners bracket for a showdown against top-seeded Mayfield. The winner of that contest will advance to the championship round starting Saturday at the UNM Softball Complex.