Rio Rancho baseball clinches District 1-5A title with 9-6 win

Rio Rancho turned a tense playoff push into another home celebration Tuesday night, beating Piedra Vista 9-6 at Rio Rancho High School to clinch the District 1-5A baseball title and strengthen its position for the state tournament. The Rams, ranked No. 3 in Class 5A, improved to 21-4 overall and 8-1 in district play, while opening a two-game lead in the loss column over both Piedra Vista and No. 1-ranked Cleveland.

The win carried extra weight because of how hard the district has been from top to bottom. Afterward, coach David Gomez called District 1-5A “obscene” in its difficulty and said the victory was “very satisfying.” It also gave Rio Rancho its second straight district title and its sixth straight home win, a stretch that has kept the Rams in control when the pressure has been highest.

Rio Rancho took charge early, building a 5-1 lead after two innings, but Piedra Vista answered and briefly surged ahead 6-5. The Rams regrouped in the bottom of the fourth inning, where they scored three runs to seize control again. Dean Ellison sparked that rally with a two-run double, then D’anjoelo Aragon added an RBI double as Rio Rancho restored the cushion that Piedra Vista could not erase.

Ellison finished with two doubles and three RBIs, giving Rio Rancho the middle-of-the-lineup production it needed in a game that could have swung either way. Senior Jacob Lucero closed it out, working three innings of two-hit, scoreless relief to earn the save and steady a postseason-caliber win that felt like more than just another league game.

The timing matters, too. State baseball brackets were scheduled to be unveiled Sunday, and the New Mexico Activities Association’s 2026 baseball championship dates are May 6, 8-9, and 14-16. For Rio Rancho, Tuesday’s result all but locked in the next step of the season: seeding, bracket placement and a likely path that will keep the Rams near the top of the 5A field as the postseason begins.