Los Lunas, Belen softball seasons end in state tournament losses
Los Lunas and Belen both fell in Rio Rancho, but each program reached state, won early, and finished with enough young talent to suggest the county’s softball depth is real.
Valencia County’s two strongest softball programs both saw their state tournament runs end in the consolation rounds, but the losses also showed how far Los Lunas and Belen have come. Los Lunas finished 21-7 after an 11-1 loss to Centennial, and Belen ended 14-15 after a 15-0 loss to Kirtland Central, with both defeats coming at Cleveland High School’s softball complex during the New Mexico Activities Association’s May 6-16 state championship window.
Los Lunas entered the 5A bracket as the No. 4 seed and opened with a 7-0 win over Sandia before a 6-4 loss to Cleveland sent the Tigers into consolation play. Centennial, which came in at 19-12, broke Tuesday’s game open with seven runs in the second inning. A dust devil briefly interrupted play, but it did not change the outcome. Coach Patrick Ortiz said the Tigers could not get their bats going even after a strong pregame hitting session, and the offense never recovered after Brooke Baca left the circle following a line drive off her pitching hand. Ashley Baca’s solo home run was the only scoring for Los Lunas.
Junior catcher Haidyn Garley called it a rough day, but also pointed to the future, saying the Tigers have a lot of young talent and that this was probably their best season yet. Ortiz said the seniors “built a legacy,” and Los Lunas will now have to replace eight seniors after a year that included a 16-3 start, a No. 5 state ranking and losses only to top-ranked Alamogordo and No. 6 Volcano Vista before tournament play.
Belen’s path was shorter, but still marked progress for a program that has struggled to sustain postseason runs. The Eagles entered state as the No. 11 seed in 4A, beat Gallup 14-3 in a play-in game, then dropped a 20-0 game to Silver before running into Kirtland Central. Against the Broncos, who were listed at 21-10, Belen managed just one hit, by Peyten Lucero. Coach Oscar Medrano said his team did not make enough plays and that fundamental mistakes opened the door for Kirtland Central.
Medrano also said the roster was young and that the experience should help it grow. Belen will lose only two seniors, Lucero and Jayda Mirabal, which leaves most of the group intact for next season. That matters in a county where, just a year ago, Belen was the lone local softball survivor while Valencia and Los Lunas exited early. This spring, both Belen and Los Lunas reached state, both won at least one game in bracket play, and both showed that Valencia County softball is no longer defined by a single program.
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