Volcano Vista shocks 2-seed La Cueva, wins metro softball title 

The Hawks have returned to their perch atop the metro. 

With five home runs from as many players, fourth-seeded Volcano Vista never trailed in an 11-1 upset win over No. 2 La Cueva on Saturday for the program’s first metro tournament title under head coach Melody Smith. 

Jewel Candelaria’s game-high three hits keyed an offensive effort that saw the Hawks outhit the Bears 14-7 at La Cueva. The junior also hit the first of Volcano Vista’s five homers, staking her team to a 3-0 lead in the second inning before Breanna Griego, Audrianna Jim, Luciana Apodaca and Genevieve Tapia cleared the fence. 

Entering Saturday, La Cueva (5-4) had won the last three metro tournaments. The Hawks (10-3) downed top-seeded Cibola on Friday to clinch a spot in the metro championship under Smith, Volcano Vista’s first-year coach and a former standout at Artesia. 

“This (result) is definitely announcing (that) this group of girls is impeccable,” she said. “They are amazing. They work so well together, they work so hard and they have fun together. That makes it even better.”

The Hawks also got a sterling performance in the circle from an eighth grader. Pitching against a Bears lineup that put up 14 runs on No. 3 Rio Rancho, Alyssa Herrera threw 4.2 shutout innings in relief of Jim, the hero of Volcano Vista’s semifinal win over Cibola. 

Jim allowed La Cueva’s only run in the second inning before Herrera entered, allowing two hits and walking one the rest of the way. 

“It’s a lot of pressure coming in as an eighth grader … she is somebody who’s tough between the ears,” Smith said. “But she’ll handle it, she’ll hold it down.” 

Griego’s solo shot in the fourth put Volcano Vista up 4-1 before the Hawks scored two runs in the fifth and sixth to secure a commanding 8-1 lead heading into the final frame. 

Apodaca and Tapia punctuated Volcano Vista’s offensive outburst with back-to-back homers in the Hawks’ three-run seventh inning. 

“One thing we teach is just line drives — if we’re consistent with the line drives, the home runs will happen,” Smith said. “And even (Friday), with our win against Cibola, (Volcano Vista hit) no home runs. But they’ll happen, just like here today … we preach the line drives, and the home runs will happen.” 

Alex Fox, whose single in the second plated the Bears’ only run, and Elizabeth Hoggan led La Cueva with two hits each. Alyssa Hunt allowed four runs in a three-inning start while Maxx Cordero gave up seven — five of which were earned — in relief. 

Despite the loss, Bears coach Ron Romero said he was proud his team made it to the title game and will “flip the page” after Saturday. 

“We’re still working to see who we are and (what) our identity is,” he said. “And we have young pitchers right now — today, we threw a freshman (Hunt) and a sophomore (Cordero). We’re still young in that circle (and) we’re gonna grow from that.” 

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.