Los Lunas Tigers clinch baseball and softball district titles, postseason berths
Los Lunas turned one spring night into a two-field celebration, with baseball and softball both winning district titles and clinching playoff spots.
Los Lunas turned Championship Tuesday into a rare double celebration, as both Tigers programs locked up district titles and postseason berths on the same day. The baseball team won the District 5-5A crown with a 15-5, six-inning mercy-rule victory over Albuquerque High, while the softball team was finishing its own title run on a nearby field, giving the school a same-day sweep that carried far beyond the final scores.
The baseball win showed how quickly Los Lunas could shift gears when the pressure lifted. The Tigers trailed 4-3 after four innings before exploding for 12 runs over the final two frames. First-year coach Cliff De Graaf gave the team a pep talk that helped settle everyone down, and players later said that was the point when they stopped pressing and took control. Los Lunas finished with 15 hits and six doubles, a spread of offense that wore down the Bulldogs and turned a close game into a run-rule finish.
Cruz Romero led the charge, going 4-for-4 with three runs batted in, while Jasiah Byers added four hits and scored four runs. The ninth-ranked Tigers are now guaranteed a place in the 5A state tournament, and they still had a chance to earn an opening-round home series if later seeding broke their way after the final non-district games.
The bigger story for Los Lunas, though, was that the celebration was shared. De Graaf’s daughter, Kelsey, was part of the softball victory happening nearby, making the day a family milestone as well as a program milestone. For a school that has built its spring identity around both diamonds, the titles sent the same message from both fields: Los Lunas is peaking at the right time.
That message matters in Valencia County, where the district picture remained tight even with the Tigers’ sweep. Belen and Valencia still had critical district games left against each other in both baseball and softball, and every result carried playoff implications. Belen had fallen 16-7 to Grants, the District 4A champion, while Valencia edged Highland 10-7 on the road, a reminder that seeding, hosting rights and momentum were still in play across the county.
For Los Lunas, the district titles did more than secure brackets. They gave the Tigers a strong postseason profile on both sides of the program and turned one spring evening into a snapshot of school pride that Valencia County families will remember when the state tournament begins.
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