Los Lunas Tigers Shut Out Valencia 15-0 in Lopsided Softball Showdown

A 10-run second inning turned a county rivalry into a rout. The Los Lunas Tigers girls softball team blanked the Valencia Jaguars 15-0 on March 17 at Los Lunas High School, with Kellyn Lucero and Kelsie De Graaf each driving in four runs to pace the offense.

The decisive second inning did most of the damage, effectively ending any suspense before the game reached its midpoint. Lucero and De Graaf accounted for eight of the team's 15 RBI between them, the clearest statistical signature of how thoroughly Los Lunas controlled the contest.

The win moved Los Lunas to 4-2 on the softball season. Valencia, now 2-4, has dropped to the losing side of .500 as the schedule deepens.

Both teams head into tournament play off the result. Los Lunas was set to open against the host school in a tournament in Artesia, while Valencia traveled to Farmington for the Linda Crabtree tournament, where the Jaguars were scheduled to face Kirtland Central in the first round. Belen's softball team, sitting at 5-7, was also in action, hosting Mayfield in a Saturday doubleheader.

Elsewhere in local sports, the Los Lunas baseball team picked up its own road win on March 17, as seventh-seeded Los Lunas (5-5) defeated No. 10 Atrisco Heritage Academy 13-3 in the first round of the Albuquerque Metro Baseball Tournament. Jasiah Byers homered and drove in three runs in that game. The Tigers were then scheduled to face No. 2 Rio Rancho in the next round.

Belen baseball (4-5) swept visiting Gallup (3-6) with wins of 12-1 and 10-3, and was set to play Santa Fe on the road. Valencia baseball (5-4) had a Wednesday game at Moriarty on the schedule, though results from those Wednesday contests fell past the Valencia County News-Bulletin's print deadline.