Los Lunas, Belen softball teams stay alive in state tournament

The state championships ran May 6-16 and used a play-in format at the top four seeds before moving into the main draw and consolation rounds. Los Lunas, the county’s highest-seeded local team at No. 4, opened with a 7-0 win over Sandia at the Los Lunas Sports Complex, then lost 6-4 to Cleveland and slipped into the loser-out side. Belen beat Gallup 14-3 with 17 hits and sharp defense, then was shut out 20-0 by Silver and moved into the same bracket path. Both teams were scheduled to play at noon Thursday after the New Mexico Activities Association adjusted the Cleveland High School schedule because an incident left the outfields on fields one and two unplayable. Los Lunas remained set for field four against Centennial, while Belen was moved to an adjacent field against Kirtland Central.

For Los Lunas, the next game carried added weight after last season’s early first-round exit. Senior Jacelyn Baca said the Tigers were different this year and had the offense to challenge anybody if the bats stayed hot. Baca also had fought through a knee injury that cost her all of basketball season and much of softball, making the tournament run a personal test as much as a team one.

Belen’s road was just as demanding, but coach Oscar Medrano said the Eagles matched up well with Kirtland Central and could still compete at a high level. That confidence came even after Belen had lost 6-4 to the Broncos on March 7, and even with the Eagles making state for the third straight season.