Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
RIO RANCHO — The Portales Lady Rams split their final two games on Saturday in the 32-team Kristen Griego Memorial softball tournament, giving them a 2-3 record for the weekend.
Portales (3-4) crushed the Rio Rancho Cleveland junior varsity 20-2 on Saturday morning, then suffered a 14-13 loss to rival Lovington in the finale.
Senior Sky Marianito collected five hits in seven at-bats in the two games for Portales, which finished the day with 29 hits.
Freshman Wendy Baeza pitched an abbreviated two-hitter against the Storm JV, called after four innings because of the 15-run lead rule. Leading 5-2, the Lady Rams scored 15 runs in their final two at-bats.
Senior Ana Tapia drove in three runs with a pair of hits for Portales, while sophomore Micaela Garcia went 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Portales and Lovington played a wild game in which the Lady Rams rallied in each of the final three innings to tie the score. The Lady Wildcats (6-5) pushed over the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Portales got RBI singles from Garcia, junior Devyn Lopez and Marianito in a four-run seventh which erased a 13-9 deficit. Marianito finished 3-for-4 and scored twice for PHS while Baeza drove in four runs with a pair of hits.
Starting pitcher Danika Utajara, a freshman, led the Lady Wildcats with a 5-for-5 outing, driving in two runs and scoring twice, while Anjelica Guerrero was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
The Lady Rams return to action on Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. game at Hobbs.
LINESCORES
Kristen Griego Memorial tournament
At Rio Rancho
Portales 20, Rio Rancho Cleveland JV 2
Portales 326 9 —20 15 3
Cleveland JV 200 0 — 2 2 7
Wendy Baeza and Shelbi Walker; Renteria, Antonio (3) and Salazar. W — Baeza. L — Renteria. Top hitters — Portales: Sky Marianito 2-3; Ana Tapia 2-3, 3 RBIs, run; Micaela Garcia 2-3, 2 RBIs, 3 runs, BB. Record — Portales 3-3.
Lovington 14, Portales 13
Portales 402 012 4 —13 14 5
Lovington 430 024 1 —14 17 7
Baeza and Walker; Danika Utajara, Ashley Sanchez (7) and Zoe Luhrs, Jenise Marquez (7). W — Sanchez. L — Baeza. Top hitters — Portales: Marianito 3-4, 2 runs; Baeza 2-4, 4 RBIs. Lovington: Utajara 5-5, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Anjelica Guerrero 3-3, 2 RBIs, 3 runs. Records — Portales 3-4, Lovington 6-5.
