Piedra Vista pitcher Alexis Hernandez winds up for a pitch during a game against Pueblo West during a first round game of the Scorpion Invite, Thursday, March 19, 2026 at Ricketts Park. (W. Dean Howard/Special to The Tri-City Record)
Piedra Vista pitcher Alexis Hernandez winds up for a pitch during a game against Pueblo West during a first round game of the Scorpion Invite, Thursday, March 19, 2026 at Ricketts Park. (W. Dean Howard/Special to The Tri-City Record)W. Dean Howard

FARMINGTON – The Piedra Vista Panthers wrapped up the Coach Bob Invitational in Phoenix last week with a 3-1 mark, their only loss coming at the hands of a team from Bend, Oregon. In the four-day event, the Panthers outscored their opponents by a margin of 36-10.

With the non-district portion of their season now in the books, the Panthers turn to the pivotal District 1-5A campaign, where they find themselves just a half back of Cleveland High in the overall standings.

The Panthers opened the season with 14 straight wins, including sweeps of both the Panther and Scorpion Invitational events earlier this month at Ricketts Park. One of those victories came against Class 4A state runnerup Bloomfield.

Piedra Vista, ranked second in Class 5A according to Maxpreps heading into the week, will be on the road Tuesday to challenge Volcano Vista in the first meeting of the season between the district rivals. The Hawks (8-7 overall) are ranked 13th in the 5A classification and have won three of their last four games.

Also slated to begin district play this week is Farmington High, which entered this past weekend with an overall record of 7-7 ahead of a Saturday doubleheader on the road against Rio Grande. The Scorpions will open their District 1-5A slate Tuesday at Ricketts Park against Rio Rancho.

With a record of 12-2. the Rams have won five of their last six games and are ranked third in the state in Class 5A.

In Class 4A, the race appears to be very tight among District 1-4A squads Aztec and Bloomfield, ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, according to the most recent Maxpreps polling.

The Tigers have an overall record of 10-4, well ahead of Bloomfield (7-5) in the non-district standings. The Tigers have gotten strong efforts at the plate this season from seniors Christian Holmes (.447 batting average, 17 runs batted in) and Kale Watson (.371 BA, 13 RBI).

Bloomfield was coming off a tough series of games earlier this month, having lost four in a row. The Bobcats have now won five of their last six games ahead of a Saturday doubleheader on the road at Valley. The Bobcats will host the Tigers in the opening game of the district schedule Tuesday at 4 p.m.