Families cover the bases at around-the-clock softball tournament in Albuquerque

A startlingly pink, three-quarters moon rose over the Sandias late Friday night, serving as a perfect backdrop to Tom Tenorio Park on the far West Side, where youngsters scurried about, or ducked inside camping tents to giggle and play.

Aromas drifted from propane-fired discos filled with fajitas or soft taco meat. Mega-coolers stuffed with soft drinks, water and even beers sat underneath tables laden with tortillas and toppings. Speakers blared out everything from American rock to Mexican pop. The pungent odor of marijuana was unmistakable.

And, oh yeah, there even was a few softball games being played, including the first games on the recently completed Field No. 1.

But around the fields, it was a party atmosphere at the Jimmy Nieto Softball Blowout — a nonstop tournament that started Friday afternoon and rolled straight through with no breaks until completed Sunday morning with 35 teams in three slow-pitch divisions: men’s, women’s and coed.

The tournament put on by the Bernalillo County Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Division, was an annual fixture before COVID, but has been played just once since as the park just off of Arenal SW was undergoing a $13 million renovation.

But now, county organizers are looking to make the tournament a regular part of the schedule again and are hoping to at least double its size.

“We were getting so many teams that we had to run around-the-clock games,” Ruben Trujillo, county sports event coordinator, said of the tournament’s origins that date back to 2004. “We started with 20 teams, but then we were getting 50, 60, 70 teams, and the most we had was 84 one year, so ‘around the clock’ was the only way to make it happen.”

Named for the late South Valley community organizer, Nieto helped bring significant amenities to the area, including the Tenorio Park.

For 25-year-old Jessica Luevano, softball, Tenorio Park and the Nieto tournament are part of a connection to the past and a look at the future, as her dad, David Luevano, started a team years ago.

“I grew up on these fields with my dad. He’s been having his team since before I was born,” she said, noting she doesn’t play due to a physical ailment.

Luevano is the team’s manager so she attends the meetings, gets everybody registered and keeps the scorebook.

“I make sure they have fun,” she said with a smile while wearing a team jersey, just like many of the women under the two large canopies strung together in the parking lot. “We all grew up together, so it’s always good for the players and everybody. So all the women come out and support with their kids. And the jerseys that they’re wearing belong to whoever they’re married to or for the children through their dads.”

It more resembled a family picnic, with David Luevano insisting visitors taste the tacos he whipped up.

And one of his other daughters, Susana Luevano, smiled as she watched the children scamper around.

“I think half the team we’ve seen grow up, their kids grow up. I love that. I love that we’re all growing together,” she said. “And I like that we see what those little kids are growing into. My daughter is 6 years old, and she’s playing T-ball, so I like that she gets to see the environment here, how they’re all older people, and they get to be playing when she’s starting off. I love it. I love the sense of family here.”

On the other end of the parking lot, there’s a team whose jerseys all bear the initials AJ to honor a teammate who died several years ago.

Playing in the tournament was a good way for the team Stacks to stay connected with Abran Joseph “AJ” Sanchez, said Carlos Sanchez of AJ, his nephew.

“We’ve been playing for years, so we enjoy it every year,” Carlos Sanchez said. “We’ve missed it the last few years, but it means a lot. His spirit’s still alive, so he’s still alive with us.”

As for the scores, well, that’s not quite as important.

“It’s just a fun tournament to come out and hang out,” said Stacks team member Fred Peralta.

“So this is a 24-hour tournament, and it is called the blowout for a reason. We don’t sleep till Sunday, so here we are, and we’re gonna hang out, make the best of it, eat, drink and just have fun. We did play. Unfortunately, we’re in a loser’s bracket now. But hey, it’s a long weekend,” he said.