FARMINGTON – The final weeks of the prep baseball and softball season take on greater significance with district titles and potential postseason berths on the line.
Here’s a recap of some of the top action on the basepaths over the weekend.
Chris Stocking’s solo home run in the bottom of the third inning broke a 2-2 tie and lifted the Farmington High School baseball team to a 3-2 win over District 2-5A rival Eldorado in the opening game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Ricketts Park.
The Scorpions were unable to complete the sweep of the doubleheader, losing the nightcap by a final of 10-1.
Stocking’s heroics in the first game came on a 1-0 pitch leading off the bottom of the third. He had earlier scored a run in the first inning as the lead switched back and forth three times in the first three innings.
Farmington pitcher Carson Padilla shut down the Golden Eagles after escaping some early trouble. Padilla threw seven innings, struck out five, walked one and allowed seven hits to earn the win.
The Scorpions ran into trouble early in the nightcap, surrendering three runs in the top half of the first inning, then allowing six more runs to score in the top of the third.
Jason Sims and Sully Wilson did most of the damage for Eldorado, combining for four runs batted in while going a combined 5-for-9 at the plate.
Golden Eagles pitcher Johnny Kerze threw a complete game, striking out four and allowing only one hit and walking five. Stocking scored the only Scorpions run, coming in the bottom of the first inning.
The doubleheader split puts Farmington’s record on the season to 11-9 overall (3-3 District) ahead of a Tuesday afternoon clash at home against Rio Rancho in a rescheduled non-district game. The Rams are the top-ranked Class 5A team in the state with a record of 18-1-2.
The Scorpions will return to district play on Saturday when they visit second-ranked La Cueva (15-4 overall).
Trailing 5-1 at the end of five innings, Taos High School scored six unanswered runs in the final two frames to rally for a 7-5 win on the road in the first half of a Saturday doubleheader over Kirtland Central.
Daniel Martinez led the Tigers with three RBI’s and Dameon Ely scored twice as Taos earned its second straight win and fourth from last five games.
Kirtland Central (12-9) was led on the basepaths by Jay Tsosie who drove in three runs as well as Alijah Salas who hit a home run and drove in a pair of runs.
Taos (8-11) scored twice in the sixth inning, then completed the comeback in the top of the seventh inning, scoring four times. Ely finished off the comeback from the mound, where he struck out a pair of Broncos hitters in the bottom of the seventh.
In the nightcap, the Broncos offense scored early and often, beating the Tigers by a final of 14-2.
Kaeden Benally drove in four runs, starting pitcher Jaten Pousson helped his own cause at the plate with three RBI’s via an inside-the-park home run.
Kirtland Central scored five times in the first inning, followed by a seven-run outburst in the second inning on its way to victory.
The Broncos will resume District 1-4A play on Tuesday at 4 p.m. when they visit Bloomfield.
The Piedra Vista High School baseball team got back on track during its District 2-5A campaign, sweeping a doubleheader on the road Saturday over West Mesa.
The Panthers won the opening game of the twinbill by a final of 23-2 before the second game ended in a 22-0 rout.
The Panthers collected 16 hits in the second game of the doubleheader, also taking advantage of 10 walks issued by Mustangs pitchers Daniel Martinez, Jake White and Eric Romero. Kaeden Peace drove in three runs for Piedra Vista while Joh Wulfert went 2-for-3 at the plate with a triple and a pair of runs batted in.
Piedra Vista improves to 15-7 overall (4-2 District) and will be in action on Saturday at home for a doubleheader against Sandia.
The Bloomfield High School baseball team earned its second straight win, in the process improving to 13-5 on the season with a 19-2 romp at home Saturday over District 1-4A rival Miyamura.
With the Bobcats trailing 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third inning, Bloomfield exploded for 10 runs, then came back to score eight more times in the fourth inning.
The win is the third in the last four games for Bloomfield, keeping the team one game behind Kirtland Central atop the district standings. Bloomfield also picked up a key district win on Thursday, rolling over Shiprock by a final of 13-3. In that contest, Andres Gordo drove in four runs while Ryan Sharpe homered and drove in three.
The Bobcats will host Kirtland Central on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Bloomfield’s Nevaeh Archuleta scored four runs and Amia Goins drove in three with a home run as Bloomfield won a District 1-4A slugfest, beating Miyamura on the road by a final of 16-12.
Angel Campbell, who went 2-for-4 at the plate, also stole three bases on her way to scoring three runs.
The teams combined for 41 hits in the contest, with Elysse Smith-Oliver doing a great deal of damage, driving in six runs while going 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of doubles.
Bloomfield has won four of its last five games and improves to 10-11 (4-1 District) on the season. The Lady Bobcats will play its next three games on the road, beginning Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Kirtland Central.
The Navajo Prep softball team extended its win streak to eight straight games while keeping a perfect mark in District 1-3A play after a doubleheader sweep at home over Newcomb on Friday afternoon.
The Lady Eagles stormed past Newcomb 14-2 in the opening game, then kept up the offensive pressure in the nightcap, routing the Lady Skyhawks by a final of 19-1.
During this current win streak, Navajo Prep has outscored its rivals by a combined margin of 151-22, or by an average score of nearly 18-3.
Navajo Prep, currently ranked ninth in the state at the 3A classification, improves to 10-4 overall (4-0 District) and will be home for a doubleheader against Tohatchi on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The Farmington High School softball team, ranked 11th in the state at the 5A classification, routed Eldorado in a doubleheader Friday night at Ricketts Park, extending the team’s win streak to six games.
The Lady Scorpions (17-5 overall, 5-1 District 2-5A) handled Eldorado 17-7 in the opening game of the twinbill before handing the Lady Golden Eagles 15-5 in the nightcap.
Farmington will likely face its toughest matchups of the season in the final two doubleheaders on the schedule. Saturday, the Lady Scorpions will visit third-ranked La Cueva in a doubleheader before wrapping up the regular season against district and crosstown rival Piedra Vista. The Lady Panthers are ranked fifth in the state with a record of 17-3.
Aztec High School’s Elena Talamante drove in six runs while going 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run as the Lady Tigers rolled to a 16-1 district romp at home Saturday afternoon over Kirtland Central.
Talamante’s second inning grand slam was part of a five-run frame that put the game out of reach. Aztec would go on to score 10 more runs in the bottom of the third inning of the run-rule victory. Talamante leads the team with 16 RBI’s this season.
Lacie Langford scored four times for Aztec, with Nizhoni Yellow, Essica Talamante and Julie Briggs each scoring a pair of runs.
Aztec improved to 9-10 on the season, with a 2-3 mark in District 1-4A play. Kirtland central has lost six straight games and fall to 4-13 this season.
The Lady Tigers will be back in action Tuesday at 3 p.m. when they host Aztec while Kirtland Central welcomes Bloomfield.
The Piedra Vista High School softball team improved to 19-3 overall after a sweep of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon on the road over West Mesa.
The Lady Panthers won the opener by a final of 4-1 before routing the Lady Mustangs in the nightcap by a final of 19-0.
Piedra Vista remains tied atop the District 2-5A standings with La Cueva with identical marks of 5-1. The teams split a pair of games earlier this month.
The Lady Panthers will be home on Friday at 4 p.m. for a doubleheader against Sandia.
