Rio Rancho's Aleah Alvarado hadn't hit a homer all season, then hit four in one game to tie a state record

On the last trip around the bases, Aleah Alvarado said she couldn’t help but laugh.

“I was putting my hand over my mouth. I was like, what’s going on?” she said Wednesday. “This can’t be real.”

Real indeed, and a day that gave her a piece of a state record.

Only two other girls in New Mexico history had hit four home runs in a single softball game.

Before Tuesday, that is.

Rio Rancho senior Alvarado joined that short list with a magnificent four home-run game in a 19-11 win for the Rams, who hit nine homers total in the victory over Volcano Vista.

And here is the funniest and most outrageous aspect to Alvarado’s effort: Prior to Tuesday, she hadn’t hit a single home run all season.

None?

“Zero!” she said. “I’m not lying.”

Which is why she could not help but laugh at the absurdity of her accomplishment, especially after her fourth home run.

“Believe me,” she said with a laugh, “I was in disbelief, too.”

Alvarado went 5-for-6 with nine RBIs. She had at least one RBI in all six of her at-bats.

The first girl to achieve four homers in a single game, based on the New Mexico Activities Association records, was Jaelynn Vialpando of Atrisco Heritage, who hit four long balls against Albuquerque High on April 11, 2017.

On March 28, 2023, Sarai Morales of Roswell equaled that mark in a game against Goddard.

“It’s a great honor to be there with these other two girls,” Alvarado said.

Alvarado’s four home runs were achieved in a most unique way: She hit them all in the first four innings, including two in the fourth inning alone.

She cracked a solo shot down the left-field line in the first. She clubbed a three-run homer to left in the second. She belted a two-run home run to left center in her first plate appearance in the fourth inning. She came up again later, and went deep again to left.

“After the first one,” Alvarado said, “my swing felt good. My mechanics, too.”

She also added an RBI single in the fifth, and an RBI ground ball in the seventh.

Never in her life had she gone deep more than once in a game. She plays third base and is a utility player for the Rams.

The natural question to ask Rio Rancho’s longtime coach, Paul Kohman, was to inquire if Alvarado was a natural home run hitter.

“No,” he said with a chuckle. “But she was last night.”