Top-seeded Lady Rams roll

The competition will definitely stiffen up for top-seeded Portales as the Lady Rams bid for their first Class 3A state softball title.

That said, coach Robbie Crowley believes her squad is ready to take on all comers after advancing to next week's quarterfinals with a 15-0 rout of 16th-seeded Wingate on Friday at PHS.

Senior third baseman Sorina Flores, sophomore catcher Simone Laurenz and sophomore right fielder Mariah Lovato each drove in four runs for the Lady Rams (25-1), who ended the game in the bottom of the fourth on the 15-run lead run which goes into effect after the third inning.

Portales will face either ninth-seeded Lovington or eighth-seeded Pojoaque, who play today, in a 10 a.m. game on Thursday at Field of Dreams in Las Cruces. The rest of the tournament is scheduled for double-elimination.

PHS reached the 3A finals for the second time last season, losing to Silver 9-0 in the championship game. That loss has apparently motivated the Lady Rams.

"Everything's kind of come together this year, but I think it all started with the state tournament last year," Portales coach Robbie Crowley said. "These kids didn't like losing like that."

Silver is seeded second this year while West Las Vegas, the only team to beat the Lady Rams, is third.

Senior Kelsey Laurenz breezed to the victory, allowing only a two-out single to shortstop Samantha Harding in the first. She struck out 10 of the 13 batters she faced.

CMI photo: Tony BullocksPortales sophomore Mariah Lovato attempts a third-inning bunt which went foul in Friday's Class 3A round-of-16 state tournament game against Wingate at Portales. Lovato was one of three Lady Rams to drive in four runs in a 15-0 victory.

Flores, one of six seniors playing their final home game, said the Lady Rams are trying not to get ahead of themselves.

"We just look at the team we're playing right now," said Flores, who went 2-for-3 and reached base all four times up. "We live in the moment."

Lovato had the only hit in Portales' four-run first — a three-run triple to right-center after a hit batsman and two walks. Lovato eventually scored on a wild pitch.

CMI photo: Tony BullocksPortales and Wingate exchange high fives after Friday's 15-0 Lady Rams win in a round-of-16 Class 3A state softball game at PHS.

Flores hit a two-run single in the second as the Lady Rams scored four more times. Simone Laurenz had a two-run single in another four-run inning in the third, and Flores drove in the final run when her one-out, bases-loaded grounder eluded Harding for an error.

Flores admitted it was a little tough in the field with the Lady Bears (4-17) struggling to make contact, although she field get a ground ball for an inning-ending out in the third.

"I pray for a ball to come to me," she said. "It's hard to focus; you get a little bored. But I'm grateful we get to play another game."