Playoff update: Loving softball wins small school title, Artesia plays for state titles
The Loving Falcons softball team marched through the opposition in the A-AA championships claiming a three-peat trophy.
Friday in Rio Rancho, the Falcons pitched a shutout and the bats throttled Mesilla Valley Christian School 16-0.
Loving did not lose a game in this year’s playoffs defeating Lordsburg 16-0, Estancia 8-4 and upsetting the No. 1 seed Tularosa 3-2 to advance to the title game.
More: Loving blanks Lordsburg, advances to second round of A-AA state softball playoffs
The Falcons won their third straight A-AA state title and finished the season with a 25-2 record.
Five Loving seniors played in their final game Friday, including Brooklyn Rodriguez, Karyn Montoya, Jazzmin Celis, Elisha Martinez and Mei-Ling Sing.
The Falcons were the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Artesia softball wins consolation side, plays Gallup for 4A title
The Bulldogs needed extra innings to defeat District 4-4A rival Lovington 10-9 in the first of three games Friday.
Makayla Lujan smacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth and upset the No. 2 Wildcats.
Artesia edged No. 7 Aztec in Friday’s second game in Rio Rancho 2-1. Kat Marquez gave up four hits in the victory.
More: Artesia softball pitcher Kat Marquez wins Current-Argus Prep Hero of the Week Award
Madison Martinez picked up the final win in the late afternoon as Artesia defeated the No. 3 seed Silver High Fighting Colts 3-1.
At 10 a.m. Saturday in Albuquerque, Artesia gets another shot against the Gallup Bengals, who sent the Bulldogs to the consolation bracket Thursday with a 6-2 win.
Artesia Bulldogs baseball ousts top-seeded team in 4A
The Bulldogs tangled with District 4-4A rival Roswell Goddard in the semifinals Friday in Albuquerque.
The game went into extra innings as Diego Morales and Jesse Armendariz had key extra base hits in the bottom of the ninth leading Artesia to an 8-5 win over the Rockets.
At 4 p.m. Saturday in Albuquerque, the Bulldogs play for the 4A state championship.
Artesia finished second in 4A in 2019.
Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Playoff update Loving wins softball title, Artesia plays in title games
