Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Staff photo: Kevin Wilson Clovis High catcher Alyssa Turbeville drops down a sacrifice bunt during the first game of Friday’s Distirct 4-6A softball doubleheader at Lady Wildcat Field.
For a team that outscored its opposition by 17 runs, the Carlsbad Cavegirls weren’t often in relax mode.
Carlsbad kept its District 4-6A title hopes alive Friday night, putting away close games in the seventh innings to take a 6-0, 11-0 doubleheader sweep Friday night at Lady Wildcat Softball Complex.
Carlsbad (16-5, 6-2) sent 11 to the plate in the seventh inning of the opener, with the first five reaching base to pick up five insurance tallies. Leading 4-0 in the nightcap, the Cavegirls sent 12 to the plate to throw up a 7-spot.
Veteran Carlsbad coach John Tigert had any enthusiasm about the wins offset by the fact it was anybody’s game for 12 innings.
link Staff photo: Kevin Wilson
Clovis High catcher Alyssa Turbeville drops down a sacrifice bunt during the first game of Friday’s Distirct 4-6A softball doubleheader at Lady Wildcat Field.
“We struggled,” Tigert said of the early portions of each game. “I played a lot of younger kids, not because I don’t have confidence in our older kids, but because I thought they could hit Clovis’ pitching a little better.”
Freshman Gabby Aragon went 6-for-10 on the night — a 3-for-5 in both contests with three RBIs in the nightcap.
They key, however, was junior hurlers Teddi Garcia and Mikki Yerby each throwing a shutout — Garcia’s a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks, and Yerby a one-hitter with one walk and six whiffs. Neither pitcher saw a Clovis runner advance beyond second base.
It was a continuation of a pattern for Clovis (5-17, 0-8), which has been outscored 95-1 in district play.
“We have to be able to put some runs on the board,” Clovis coach Freddy Perez said. “You’re not going to beat any team in our district if you can’t score with them.”
Sophomore Celeste Chavez gave up a run in the first inning of the opener, but stranded nine Carlsbad runners before the wheels came off in the seventh.
“The last innings made it look bad,” Perez said, “but for the most part the girls worked their butts off.”
Carlsbad remains within striking distance of Hobbs (19-2, 7-1), and will likely need at least a split on Tuesday at Alamogordo to be in reach of the title in Friday’s home doubleheader against the Lady Eagles.
Clovis wraps up its season with trips to Hobbs on Tuesday and Alamogordo on Friday.
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