RIO RANCHO – The Aztec High softball team is exactly where it wanted to be.
Behind a three-run double from Cami Lucio and a gutsy complete-game performance in the circle by the state’s leading hurler Kamora Henry, the Tigers punched their ticket to the state championship game with a 4-2 victory over Silver High School on Friday.
With the win, No. 2 seeded Aztec (22-6 overall) earns the right to play for the Class 4A state title on Saturday at the UNM Softball Field, where they will square off against Artesia.
The top-seeded Bulldogs, winners of 18 straight games, topped Aztec earlier in the day Friday, meaning the Tigers will need to win both the 10 a.m. first game of the championship series on Saturday and the “if necessary” game which is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Lucio provided the game’s definitive blow in the top of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, she crushed a line drive to left field, clearing the bases to blow open what had been a tight 1-0 pitching duel.
Henry was spectacular for the Tigers, navigating through heavy traffic caused by seven Aztec defensive errors. She kept the Silver hitters off balance all afternoon, striking out three and keeping her composure when the tying run came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh.
Silver mounted a desperate two-out rally in its final at-bat. Vanessa Lucero doubled, and Azariah Madrid drove her home with a hard single to left to trim the Aztec lead to 4-2. But Henry shut the door, forcing Jaelynn Cardenas to fly out to second baseman Ayasha Yellow to secure the victory and ignite the Tigers’ celebration.
In a marathon battle that stretched deep into extra innings, the Piedra Vista High softball team saw its season come to an abrupt and agonizing end Tuesday afternoon.
A three-run lead in the bottom of the 10th inning evaporated under the weight of defensive miscues, as No. 9 seeded Centennial rallied for four runs to claim a 14-13 walk-off victory, eliminating the No. 6 seeded Panthers from the Class 5A state tournament.
Piedra Vista appeared to have seized control in the top of the 10th. Isabella Jessee broke a 10-10 tie with an RBI single to score Michaela Perea, who started the inning on second base per tiebreaker rules. The Panthers padded the lead to 13-10 following a Centennial error on a Raegan Lefebre fly ball and a sacrifice fly by Tiyana Royce.
However, the bottom of the frame proved disastrous for the Panthers defense.
Centennial cut the lead to 13-11 on an error in center field and added another on a Katy Howard sacrifice fly. With the bases loaded and two outs, Kendra Martinez beat out an infield single to tie the game at 13-13. The final blow came when Madison Sanchez hit a sharp grounder that resulted in a fielding error at shortstop, allowing the winning run to cross the plate and sending the Hawks to the next round.
Piedra Vista dropped into the consolation bracket on Thursday after a 14-5 loss to Las Cruces. The loss to Cleveland ends the Panthers season with a record 21-9.
The game was a see-saw affair from the opening pitch. Piedra Vista jumped out to an early lead in the first behind an Octaviana John RBI single, but Centennial answered immediately in the bottom half.
The Panthers reclaimed the lead in the second inning when Charlie Randolph tripled and scored on an outfield error. Later that inning, Kiara Chee crossed the plate on a passed ball to make it 3-1.
Piedra Vista extended its cushion to 5-2 in the fifth inning following RBI singles from Royce and Randolph, but the lead was short-lived. Centennial exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a Brooklyn Milam sacrifice fly and a daring steal of home by Kayana Garcia to take a 7-5 lead.
Refusing to go quietly, the Panthers put together a massive four-run sixth inning. Octaviana John doubled home a run, followed by a two-run double from Raegan Lefebre. An error by the Centennial shortstop allowed Lefebre to score, pushing PV ahead 9-7.
The Hawks clawed back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie it at 9-9. Both teams traded runs in the ninth, with PV’s Olivia Chavez grounding out to score Randolph, only to see Centennial tie it again in the bottom half on a Madison Sanchez RBI single.
Piedra Vista finishes the season with a hard-fought performance that featured 21 hits, but four defensive errors ultimately proved too much to overcome in the tournament’s high-stakes environment.
A two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning wasn’t quite enough to save the Kirtland Central High softball team’s season on Friday.
The Broncos brought the winning run to the plate, but a final strikeout sealed a 4-3 victory for Silver, eliminating Kirtland Central from the Class 4A state tournament.
Trailing 4-2 in their final turn at bat, the Broncos found themselves down to their final out Elecica Sands ignited a spark with a hard-hit infield single to center field, Kiana Tsosie followed with a single to shortstop to put runners on first and second.
Shortstop Easton Myhre then delivered under pressure, launching an RBI double to right field that scored Sands and advanced Tsosie to third, cutting the deficit to a single run.
With runners at second and third, Silver pitcher Alivia Beck managed to escape the jam, striking out Cailyn Belin to end the game and the Lady Broncos’ championship aspirations.
Silver got on the scoreboard early in the top of the first inning. Vanessa Lucero hit a one-out double and later tagged up to score on an Azariah Madrid fly ball to left.
The Colts expanded their lead to 3-0 in the third inning. After a walk and a fielder’s choice, Madrid drove in a run with a line-drive single to center. Jaelynn Cardenas followed with an RBI single to right field to score Lucero.
The Broncos chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the third. Kaytanna Chee singled and Hailey Loyd walked to set the stage for pitcher Rory Benally, who helped her own cause with a line-drive RBI single to left, cutting the score to 3-1.
In the fifth, Kirtland Central put together another threat. Amelia Gomez drew a leadoff walk and was quickly driven home by a clever bunt single from Chee to bring the Broncos within one. Loyd and Benally followed with consecutive singles to load the bases with only one out, but Silver escaped further damage by forcing a pop-out and a strikeout.
Silver added what proved to be a crucial insurance run in the top of the seventh. Tianna Ortiz reached on a single and moved to third base before Mia Sanchez dropped an RBI double into shallow left field to push the lead to 4-2.
Benally went six solid innings in the circle for Kirtland Central, striking out three and keeping the Lady Broncos within striking distance before Myhre pitched the final frame. The Lady Broncos finished the game with 10 hits but left nine runners stranded on base in the heartbreaking defeat.