Livingston hits four homers as St. Michael routs Red Mesa 17-6

St. Michael turned an early 2-0 deficit into one of the most destructive power displays of its season, blasting six home runs in a 17-6 win over Red Mesa in Fort Defiance and strengthening its push for playoff position in the 1A North.

Senior Denae Livingston delivered the loudest night of all. She went 5-for-5, drove in five runs and hit four home runs, powering the Lady Cardinals through a game that was close only in the opening inning. Red Mesa grabbed the first lead after a mix of hit batters, a walk and a passed ball opened the door, but St. Michael answered quickly and never let the game drift back.

Livingston homered in the second inning to start the comeback, and the lineup kept stacking damage from there. Backup pitcher Chanelle Hale gave St. Michael a chance to work through defensive alignments in the circle, and she also contributed at the plate with three hits, including two doubles and a three-run homer. Senior third baseman Sariah Lopez added another solo shot, helping complete a six-homer night that overwhelmed Red Mesa and sent the game to a run-rule finish.

Hale worked three innings, allowing six runs on two hits while striking out four. Livingston then took over pitching and shut down Red Mesa the rest of the way, giving St. Michael a chance to close out the victory with more control on both sides of the ball. The performance showed more than one big bat. It showed a lineup with the kind of depth that can change how opponents have to pitch the Cardinals in the postseason.

The result improved St. Michael to 15-6 overall and kept the fifth-ranked team in the state squarely in a tight region race with Williams and Joseph City. Williams led the four-team region at 1-0, while St. Michael and Joseph City were both 1-1 in league play heading into Friday’s crucial 3 p.m. game at Williams. Coach Julianne Billiman said the Cardinals wanted a top-eight seed so they could host a first-round state playoff game, a goal that makes every region result more valuable.

That context gives the Red Mesa outburst real weight. St. Michael has been building toward this point for years, including a 2024 season in which Billiman’s first team blended six seniors with seven underclassmen, won 10 of its final 12 games and made its fourth straight playoff appearance. The Cardinals also reached the 1A state quarterfinals as a No. 9 seed that year. Nights like this one suggest the program is still chasing something bigger than a single blowout, and Livingston’s four-homer burst gave that chase a sharper edge.