Bernalillo Spartans 3-2, Prepare for Bloomfield Tournament After Late-February Start

Brandon Keyonnie dominated on the mound and Bernalillo’s lineup answered in force, producing an 11-0 home opener that helped the Spartans enter the spring slate with a 3-2 record before the Bloomfield Tournament. Bernalillo opened its season in late February and carried that momentum into weekend tournament play, leaving town with both a blowout and a comeback win on its ledger.

On opening day against the Kirtland Central Broncos, Bernalillo “wasted no time putting on an offensive clinic, taking down Kirtland Central 11-0,” Dan Allison wrote for the Rio Rancho Observer. Seven different Spartans recorded a hit in the home rout, and Allison noted multi-hit season starts from Issac Acosta, Joaquin Casaus and Ulisses Castro. MaxPreps provided the box-style batting lines for two of those players: Ulisses Castro went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs and one RBI, while Joaquin Casaus went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run and one double.

Bernalillo’s pitching performance in that game stood out as much as the offense. Allison credited the mound work to a named hurler: “On the mound, Brandon Keyonnie would be excellent. Bernalillo’s junior righty tossed five innings of shutout baseball, finishing with 12 strikeouts on just two hits.” MaxPreps similarly observed that “their pitcher stepped up to hand the Kirtland Central Broncos an 11-0 shutout,” corroborating a dominant outing even where it did not list the name.

The Spartans followed the home victory with tournament play in the Valencia Tournament during the last weekend of February. Facing Silver High in the opening round, Bernalillo trailed 3-1 entering the final inning before mounting a rally. Allison laid out the sequence: “An RBI single from Issac Acosta would make it 3-1 and set the table for Joaquin Casaus. Casaus, in what was a hitless day up to that point, delivered a two-run single to save the day for the Spartans and take the 4-3 victory.” MaxPreps places that Silver win on the 26th.

With those results in hand, Bernalillo “sit[s] at 3-2” before entering the Bloomfield Tournament, which Allison noted will be hosted at the Bobcats’ home. MaxPreps added a fan detail that speaks to local interest in these matchups: “Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner,” and reminded readers that the Bernalillo home opener is available for replay on the NFHS Network, the official streaming partner of the NMAA and Bernalillo High School.

The Spartans’ early-season ledger — a dominant 11-0 home rout, a late comeback win at the Valencia Tournament on the 26th and a 3-2 record heading into the Bloomfield Tournament — sets a clear framework for Bernalillo’s March schedule. Exact dates for the Bloomfield Tournament games and full box scores beyond the highlights reported here should be confirmed through Bernalillo High School athletics for complete season context.