Rams win annual Griego Memorial Tournament

For the first time since 2010, the Rio Rancho High School softball team swept — blasting its opponents by a combined score of 69-18 — through the four games of the annual Kristin Griego Memorial Tournament and won the championship.

The Rams (8-8) completed their sweep with an easy 19-4 victory Saturday afternoon over the Miyamura Patriots.

Throughout the tournament, played at the Eagle Ridge complex, RRHS swung the bats aggressively, ran the bases swiftly and daringly and played top-notch defense — all key facets of the game for a team pursuing a district championship, and, hopefully, a state title.

“If you play well, you’re going to get wins,” said RRHS softball coach Paul Kohman.

“We are always back-dooring,” Kohman said, referring to his infielders’ penchant for throwing to a base just reached by an opposing base runner, hoping she’ll have made too big of a turn. “We tell the kids to never be afraid to throw the ball, no matter what the situation is.

“We’ve probably had 40 stolen bases this weekend,” he said. “We are going to break our stolen-base record this year — and every kid who is fast is either in the eighth, ninth or 10th grade.

“We’re still gonna take our lumps this year,” predicted Kohman, also pleased with his team’s defense through 16 games. That was apparent in the team’s trip to Bullhead City, Ariz. “Our kids are progressing well, and that’s what we want to see.”

Backtracking the road to the Griego title:

Rams 19, Miyamura 4: Jessie Roane was 4 for 5 with two solo home runs and four RBIs in the championship game Saturday afternoon.

The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first — Kohman still prefers to have his team play as the visitor in his tournament — as BreOnna Castaneda supplied a two-run-triple and then scored on a single by Roane.

Miyamura scored a run in the second, and then not again until the bottom of the seventh.

Roane’s first homer made it 4-1 in the third.

The Rams all but put the game out of reach in the sixth, batting around and getting homers from pitcher Victoria Lopez and Jordan Manno, whose long ball came with two runners aboard.

Castaneda, who had tripled and scored to lead off the sixth, led off the seventh with a homer off the top of the fence and Roane, the next Ram to bat, hit one well over the fence in center field. Molly Harder had an RBI double, and teammates Hannah Obrey, Victoria O’Meara and Manno added RBI singles.

The carnage was so bad that Kohman had Castaneda intentionally leave first base early, resulting in the first out of the frame, after she’d reached on an error. Kohman then signaled for Roane to do likewise, but the umpires apparently misunderstood the rule and Lopez bunted into a double play to end it.

The Patriots, helped by two Rams errors and a hit batter, rallied for their final three runs in their final at-bats.

Miyamura, which knocked Cleveland into the loser’s bracket, 6-4, in one of the first-round games, beat Los Lunas, 5-4, in its semifinal game to advance into the championship game.

Rams 20, Valencia 2: Yup, this is the same Valencia team that beat the Rams, 3-2, in both teams’ opener on Feb. 28.

The Rams pounded out 21 hits in this semifinal game and scored four runs in each of the first three innings, then put the game away in the fourth, via the mercy rule, after an eight-run outburst.

Roane homered in a 4-for-4 outing, doubling three times and clouting a homer, to drive in seven runs. Jovanni Felix was 3 for 3 and Manno was 4 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs.

Lopez allowed just two hits.

Rams 13, Farmington 3: Facing former Cleveland High pitcher of one season, Jordan Curry, the Rams scored in five consecutive innings (second-sixth) and survived seven errors in a quarterfinal game Friday afternoon.

Roane homered while going 2 for 3, and O’Meara matched her with two hits and two RBIs, plus swiped two bases. Curry had two of the eight hits scattered by Lopez.

Rams 17, Los Alamos 9: Manno and Vanessa Gallegos homered Friday morning in the romp over the Hilltoppers, and the Rams were in control after Lopez relieved Harder in the circle.

Dominique Soto led the hit parade, going 3 for 4 with four RBIs. Gallegos was 2 for 3 and drove in three runs.

A six-run third turned the tide for the Rams, who tallied in every inning but the first.

Bunts: “This is an absolutely gorgeous field,” Kohman said after the championship game, happy with recent improvements, including an all-turf field, provided by the school district. “There is no question about it, this place is magnificent for softball.”

… The Rams play host to La Cueva Wednesday at 4 p.m. and then play a double-header at Carlsbad High next Thursday. Their District 1-5A season begins April 16 at Cibola.

… Cleveland High finished fourth in the tournament, putting together a 9-5 victory over Churchill (Ore.) and a 9-5 win over Robertson after its loss to Mitaymura Friday morning. But Gallup High, a 4-0 loser to Farmington in the second round, beat the Storm, 9-5, in the third-place battle.

… The Storm were slated to play at Eldorado Tuesday and in Santa Rosa, where they’ll meet Clovis in a make-up game, Thursday at 4 p.m. Manzano visits Cleveland Friday at 4 p.m.

For the first time since 2010, the Rio Rancho High School softball team swept — blasting its opponents by a combined score of 69-18 — through the four games of the annual Kristin Griego Memorial Tournament and won the championship.

The Rams (8-8) completed their sweep with an easy 19-4 victory Saturday afternoon over the Miyamura Patriots.

Throughout the tournament, played at the Eagle Ridge complex, RRHS swung the bats aggressively, ran the bases swiftly and daringly and played top-notch defense — all key facets of the game for a team pursuing a district championship, and, hopefully, a state title.

“If you play well, you’re going to get wins,” said RRHS softball coach Paul Kohman.

“We are always back-dooring,” Kohman said, referring to his infielders’ penchant for throwing to a base just reached by an opposing base runner, hoping she’ll have made too big of a turn. “We tell the kids to never be afraid to throw the ball, no matter what the situation is.

“We’ve probably had 40 stolen bases this weekend,” he said. “We are going to break our stolen-base record this year — and every kid who is fast is either in the eighth, ninth or 10th grade.

“We’re still gonna take our lumps this year,” predicted Kohman, also pleased with his team’s defense through 16 games. That was apparent in the team’s trip to Bullhead City, Ariz. “Our kids are progressing well, and that’s what we want to see.”

Backtracking the road to the Griego title:

Rams 19, Miyamura 4: Jessie Roane was 4 for 5 with two solo home runs and four RBIs in the championship game Saturday afternoon.

The Rams jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first — Kohman still prefers to have his team play as the visitor in his tournament — as BreOnna Castaneda supplied a two-run-triple and then scored on a single by Roane.

Miyamura scored a run in the second, and then not again until the bottom of the seventh.

Roane’s first homer made it 4-1 in the third.

The Rams all but put the game out of reach in the sixth, batting around and getting homers from pitcher Victoria Lopez and Jordan Manno, whose long ball came with two runners aboard.

Castaneda, who had tripled and scored to lead off the sixth, led off the seventh with a homer off the top of the fence and Roane, the next Ram to bat, hit one well over the fence in center field. Molly Harder had an RBI double, and teammates Hannah Obrey, Victoria O’Meara and Manno added RBI singles.

The carnage was so bad that Kohman had Castaneda intentionally leave first base early, resulting in the first out of the frame, after she’d reached on an error. Kohman then signaled for Roane to do likewise, but the umpires apparently misunderstood the rule and Lopez bunted into a double play to end it.

The Patriots, helped by two Rams errors and a hit batter, rallied for their final three runs in their final at-bats.

Miyamura, which knocked Cleveland into the loser’s bracket, 6-4, in one of the first-round games, beat Los Lunas, 5-4, in its semifinal game to advance into the championship game.

Rams 20, Valencia 2: Yup, this is the same Valencia team that beat the Rams, 3-2, in both teams’ opener on Feb. 28.

The Rams pounded out 21 hits in this semifinal game and scored four runs in each of the first three innings, then put the game away in the fourth, via the mercy rule, after an eight-run outburst.

Roane homered in a 4-for-4 outing, doubling three times and clouting a homer, to drive in seven runs. Jovanni Felix was 3 for 3 and Manno was 4 for 4 with a homer and three RBIs.

Lopez allowed just two hits.

Rams 13, Farmington 3: Facing former Cleveland High pitcher of one season, Jordan Curry, the Rams scored in five consecutive innings (second-sixth) and survived seven errors in a quarterfinal game Friday afternoon.

Roane homered while going 2 for 3, and O’Meara matched her with two hits and two RBIs, plus swiped two bases. Curry had two of the eight hits scattered by Lopez.

Rams 17, Los Alamos 9: Manno and Vanessa Gallegos homered Friday morning in the romp over the Hilltoppers, and the Rams were in control after Lopez relieved Harder in the circle.

Dominique Soto led the hit parade, going 3 for 4 with four RBIs. Gallegos was 2 for 3 and drove in three runs.

A six-run third turned the tide for the Rams, who tallied in every inning but the first.

Bunts: “This is an absolutely gorgeous field,” Kohman said after the championship game, happy with recent improvements, including an all-turf field, provided by the school district. “There is no question about it, this place is magnificent for softball.”

… The Rams play host to La Cueva Wednesday at 4 p.m. and then play a double-header at Carlsbad High next Thursday. Their District 1-5A season begins April 16 at Cibola.

… Cleveland High finished fourth in the tournament, putting together a 9-5 victory over Churchill (Ore.) and a 9-5 win over Robertson after its loss to Mitaymura Friday morning. But Gallup High, a 4-0 loser to Farmington in the second round, beat the Storm, 9-5, in the third-place battle.

… The Storm were slated to play at Eldorado Tuesday and in Santa Rosa, where they’ll meet Clovis in a make-up game, Thursday at 4 p.m. Manzano visits Cleveland Friday at 4 p.m.