FARMINGTON – As the prep softball season heads into its final weeks before district and state tournaments get underway, more than a handful of teams are still vying for postseason success.
In both Class 5A and 4A, and area teams figure to be well represented next month during the state tournament which will culminate May 13 when championships will be on the line at the University of New Mexico.
The Farmington High School softball team has been on a bit of a roll, coming off a sweep in a District 2-5A doubleheader over West Mesa before routing Kirtland Central High School in a makeup game from earlier this season. The Lady Scorpions are ranked No. 11 in Class 5A, according to MaxPreps.
Coached by Tim Trotter, the Lady Scorpions are led offensively by sophomore Amiah Declusin, who has a batting average of .482 this season and 28 runs batted in, 10 doubles and a pair of home runs.
Eighth grader Ashlynn Sandoval is unbeaten this season with seven wins from 11 appearances to her credit. She has struck out 51 batters and has an earned run average of 4.18 on the season.
Farmington has three more district doubleheaders on the schedule, beginning Friday at 4 p.m. when they host Eldorado. The Lady Scorpions (14-5) will then go on the road to face third-ranked La Cueva before finishing the regular season Friday, April 28 against crosstown rival and fourth-ranked Piedra Vista High School.
The PVHS softball team saw its six-game win streak come to an end this past week when they split a doubleheader with third-ranked La Cueva High School on Saturday at the Sports Complex.
The Lady Panthers (17-3 overall, 3-1 District 2-5A) had been on a bit of a roll since coming back from tournament action last month, beating district rival Eldorado High School in a doubleheader while also rolling over Bloomfield High School in nondistrict action. Led by senior Emma Lovato and sophomore Brookelynne Cadrain, PVHS has been a solid competitor all season.
Lovato is one of the top pitchers in New Mexico this season with a 1.62 ERA and a state-leading 152 strikeouts. Cadrain, with nine home runs and a batting average of .476, is one of the leaders of the PVHS offense.
The Lady Panthers’ most recent split with La Cueva only serves to quantify the strength of the competition within the district. The Lady Bears have outscored the competition by a combined margin of 200-60 through 19 games this season.
With both the Gallup High School and Miyamura High School softball teams starting off the district campaigns with a pair of wins, teams will have some catching up to do.
Gallup, with an overall record of 10-9 on the season, are currently ranked No. 4 in the state among Class 4A teams while Miyamura, with a record of 10-6, are ranked No. 11.
Gallup has won three in a row, with its most recent victory coming Thursday afternoon on the road, routing KCHS by a score of 17-0. Seniah Haines drove in five runs and helped herself from the circle, combining with Morgan Belone to strike out 10 Lady Broncos hitters while allowing only two hits and a pair of walks over five innings.
Miyamura’s most recent wins include an 8-0 rout on the road Tuesday over KCHS. In that game, the Lady Patriots were led by strong performances from Autumn Boggs, who scored three runs, and Tryshelle Trujillo, who drove in two runs while going 3-for-4 in the batter’s box.
Miyamura improved to 12-6 on the season after rolling past Aztec High School on Thursday by a final score of 11-1. Andrea Vinson went two-for-three at the plate with a double, a triple and a couple of RBI’s.
Of the four and area teams rounding out District 1-4A, only Bloomfield and Aztec are ranked in the top 15 in the state.
The Lady Bobcats, with a record of 10-11, are coming off a home win Thursday afternoon over Shiprock High School, led by a four-RBI performance from Gerilynn Delegarito. Before that, Bloomfield had lost three of five games and are now heading into a Saturday clash on the road with Miyamura.
Aztec’s Lady Tigers, with a record of 7-10 will host KCHS at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The Navajo Prep softball team opened the District 1-3A campaign with a pair of blowout wins on the road, sweeping Wingate High School in a doubleheader by a combined margin of 41-7.
Coached by Delbert Thomas, the Lady Eagles have won six straight games and have a record of 8-4 on the season.
Navajo Prep, ranked No. 9 in the state at Class 3A, according to MaxPreps, will be looking to extend its win streak on Friday when they host district rival Newcomb High School.
