Rehoboth Christian blanks McCurdy 15-0 behind Zylstra no-hitter

The No. 5 Lynxes did not just win the opener. They controlled every part of it from the mound to the batter’s box, and the result sent McCurdy home without a run while moving Rehoboth Christian into the quarterfinal round. Zylstra struck out 13 and did not allow a hit or an earned run, while also driving in three runs to help fuel the offense. McCurdy’s only baserunner came on a walk to Patrick Lovato, the lone blemish on what would otherwise have been a perfect game.

For Rehoboth Christian, the shutout fit the way the Lynxes had been playing down the stretch. MaxPreps reported the team had already won 14 games by six runs or more during the regular season and entered the tournament on a five-game winning streak. That kind of margin mattered in a bracket where the Lynxes had to prove the regular-season surge could hold up once the stakes got sharper and the field got smaller.

The bracket gave Rehoboth Christian the No. 5 seed and McCurdy the No. 12 seed, but the gap on the field looked even wider than the seeding suggested. Zylstra’s no-hitter through five innings gave the Lynxes a clear postseason identity: dominant pitching, pressure at the plate and enough depth to finish games early. The New Mexico Activities Association schedule had the 2A opening round on May 6, with the semifinals and final set for May 15 and 16 at Lobo Baseball Field in Albuquerque.