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State baseball/softball tournaments: Some upsets on first day
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The opening day of the Class 5A state baseball tournament on Friday went as expected for seeds like No. 1 La Cueva and No. 2 Rio Rancho.
It did not go nearly as well for others.
No. 4 Cleveland, No. 6 Sandia and No. 8 Volcano Vista all lost at home in Game 1 of their best-of-3 first-round series, putting all three in a position of having to win two games on Saturday in order to advance.
The Storm fell 9-7 to No. 13 Mayfield.
The Matadors, up against Piedra Vista’s excellent left-hander, JW Bayless, dropped a 2-1 decision to the Panthers.
Volcano Vista was roughed up in Game 1, 15-1 by ninth-seeded Los Lunas. Matthew Castillo tossed a complete game for the Tigers, striking out nine. Castillo also drove in a pair of runs, while JJ Utash was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a triple and home run.
At La Cueva, the Bears blanked Las Cruces 10-0. Everett Burdett pitched a complete game for La Cueva. Drew Watkins hit a two-run double for the Bears who put the game away with five runs in the fifth.
At Rio Rancho, the Rams won 13-5 over district rival Farmington. Brandon Segal pitched 6 2/3 innings for the Rams, improving to 8-0 on the season. Dean Ellison and Noah Serna each drove on three runs for the Rams, and Matt Cook was 3-for-4.
The 3 seed, Carlsbad, lost 8-4 at home Friday night to 14th-seeded Cibola. No. 7 Centennial was a 16-6 winner over Rio Grande.
Eldorado had just one run and one hit, but that was enough for the fifth-seeded Eagles in a 1-0 home win over Organ Mountain. Sully Wilson drove in the only run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Cooper Burak pitched a five-hit, complete-game shutout for Eldorado.
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In Class 4A, No. 2 seed St. Pius was in a tight game with No. 15 Kirtland Central on Friday. Freshman Hunter Jiron pitched a complete-game two hitter for the Sartans, and Zain Unis’ leadoff home run in the bottom of the first stood up in a 1-0 victory over the Broncos.
No. 3 Albuquerque Academy had an easier time of things, winning 10-0 over Lovington. Matt Delaney pitched a six-inning no-hitter for the Chargers, his second no-hitter of the year, and struck out 12 Wildcats.
No. 8 seed Valley, as with St. Pius and Eldorado, had a 1-0 victory — over district rival Hope Christian — in Game 1. Jayden Martinez tossed a two-hitter, striking out five. The Vikings’ lone run scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the third Luciano Gabaldon pitched extremely well for the Huskies, giving up just two hits in six innings.
In 3A, No. 9 seed Sandia Prep routed Cobre 17-7 in Bayard in the first game of that series. Eighth-grader Gage Thompson threw 5 ⅔ innings for the Sundevils. Logan Lemons was 3-for-4 with a triple and double. Lucas Ruelas had an inside-the-park home run.
SOFTBALL: La Cueva, Cibola, Atrisco Heritage and St. Pius are all into Week 2 following action on Friday.
At La Cueva, the second-seeded Bears blanked Organ Mountain 10-0. Lili Montoya was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and she also struck out 11 in five innings. Maxx Cordero drove in a pair of runs.
At Cibola, the Cougars, seeded third, shut out Albuquerque 12-0. Gaby Moncada was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Angelica Medina and Ava Benavidez also drove in three runs. In the circle, Moncada struck out 10 Bulldogs.
Atrisco Heritage’s 11-7 victory over No. 8 Los Lunas at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces guaranteed the Jaguars’ spot in Week 2. In 4A, No. 9 St. Pius defeated Kirtland Central 12-4.
Eldorado, Los Lunas and Sandia were eliminated in 5A.
