Portales on roll

CLOVIS - It's so early, but Portales' softball team has been like a steamroller already.

With Thursday night's 11-2 win over Clovis, the Lady Rams improved to 3-0 - overall and on the road - and had beaten their three opponents by a combined score of 27-4.

Though most of their season is still ahead of them, the Rams have been flattening the competition so far.

"I think that they're coming in with confidence, ready to play," Portales head coach Nathan Dodge said Thursday at the Wildcat Softball Complex. "They know there are high expectations after a year we had a decent season and made it to the playoffs. I think they know what their expectations are and they've just been riding those expectations."

"At practice we've been working hard," Portales junior pitcher Wendy Baeza (3-0) said after striking out 12 in a complete-game three-hitter. "Our attitude has been good, even if we get down. And I think we work well together."

Clovis had all too recently known the feeling of being 3-0, sporting that record when this past week began. But the Lady Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season, 8-7 at Lovington on Tuesday, before committing seven errors in Thursday's setback against Portales.

"We've got to get better," Clovis head coach Emery Sierra said after Thursday's game. "We made way too many mistakes and that's really what killed us, making mistakes. Errors got us, and not hitting the ball, not putting the ball in play. We had 12 strikeouts. So what I told them was, 'We've got to get to work.'"

It was the Rams getting to work right away Thursday night, collecting hits on their first five at-bats. Nicole Laurenz led off with an opposite-field single to shallow right field and Abi Cameron followed with an opposite-field single just inside first base. A throw on the play was air-mailed past third, allowing Laurenz to score the game's first run.

Jeuliese Chavez then swatted a first-pitch single to score Cameron, and Micaela Garcia followed with a single of her own.

Baeza then walloped a double to the fence in left-center, scoring both runners to quickly make it a 4-0 game.

The Lady Rams were hoping but certainly not expecting to jump out so fast against Clovis' eighth-grade starter Kohana Pousson, having faced her in a preseason scrimmage and seen how tough a pitcher she can be.

"The last time we played them we didn't hit that well," Baeza said. "By now we've gotten used to it and we hit the ball better."

"We talked about being ready to play," Dodge said. "Every game, get up there ready to play, don't take two or three innings and then start getting into the groove. So they've been working on getting after it right away, just getting up there ready to hit every time."

Portales scored twice in the top of the second, as Marijlee Ruiz scored on a pitch in the dirt and Cameron alertly came in behind her.

The Lady Rams scored a run on a dropped third strike in the top of the third inning, before adding four more runs in the top of the fifth - two on an outfield error, one on a Laurenz triple and another on a Cameron single.

Clovis avoided being 10-runned in five innings by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth, as Yasmine Larrea came home on an error and Divina Lopez scored on a single by Daisy Dodge.

But the Lady Wildcats could get no closer, as Baeza retired the next seven straight - five by strikeout - to end the game.

"I was feeling good," Baeza said. "I was up, I was happy. Even if they hit it, I knew I had my defense behind me. I just felt good."

"She works hard every day at practice," Dodge said of his fourth-year pitcher. "And it's shown."

Portales will head into this Tuesday's road game at Hobbs (6 p.m.) with momentum.

"They believe in themselves," Dodge said. "And they believe in Wendy; she does a good job. We're going to be in a tough district (4-4A), so we've got to play the way we did tonight and continue to work hard."

"We have a lot of confidence," Baeza said. "We're 3-0 and they've been high-scoring games."

Clovis will compete in the Rio Rancho Tournament, beginning this Thursday. After suffering their first blowout loss this season, the Lady 'Cats have to forge ahead.

"Just prepare for the next one, that's all you can do," Sierra said. "This one's already happened, it's already there. There's no taking it back. You've got to look forward, you've got to look forward."

Good start for Lady Rams

ROBERTSON - Portales kicked its season off in impressive fashion Tuesday by sweeping Robertson 9-2 and 7-0 on the road.

Baeza also started off well, tossing all seven in the opener and striking out 10, while allowing just one walk.

Though Portales led the first game 2-0 after one inning and 3-0 after the third, Robertson scored two in the bottom of the sixth to make it a tight game.

The Lady Rams, however, broke it wide open in the top of the seventh. Ruiz started the six-run rally with a single, followed by a Cameron single. Laurenz then singled Ruiz home to make it 4-2.

After a Chavez ground out advanced the runners to second and third, Garcia doubled to right, plating both runs and handing Portales a 6-2 advantage. Baeza followed with a single that drove Garcia home, and after a Mia Molina double advanced the runner, Vanessa Villanueva followed with an RBI single to give Portales an 8-2 cushion.

Molina, who had taken third on Villanueva's hit, scored on a wild pitch to give the Rams their ninth run.

Baeza kept going in the next game, combining with Adrianna Garcia on a five-inning no-hitter. Baeza worked the first four innings, Garcia the last.

Offensively, Portales went right to work in the top of the first inning. Cameron singled, Laurenz doubled Cameron to third, and Cameron scored on a wild pitch to make it 1-0. Laurenz took third base on the initial wild pitch and came home on an overthrow at third.

Jeuliece Chavez singled to short, followed by an Aymri Chavez single that advanced courtesy runner Jade Gallegos to third. Aymri Chavez then stole second, and Garcia walked.

Next up was Baeza, who smacked a two-run single.

Not that they needed them, but the Lady Rams added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning.

First loss for Lady 'Cats

LOVINGTON - Clovis' first loss of the season played out much like its second loss.

Tuesday at Lovington, the Lady Wildcats struck out 11 times and committed six errors, tasting defeat for the first time this season by falling 8-7.

For the week's two games combined, Clovis struck out 23 times and committed 13 errors.

"We definitely had our chances," Sierra said. "It's just, with that many errors and that many strikeouts it's hard to win a ballgame. We've got to be able to make plays because errors come back to get you, come back to get you good. And striking out that many times, we don't even give ourselves a chance."

Lovington's sophomore pitcher Kaeleigh Smith-Vega recorded 10 strikeouts in six innings. Junior reliever Addy Marquez pitched the seventh and fanned one.

Still, Clovis outhit Lovington 7-4. Pousson homered twice and had four RBIs for the 'Cats. Dodge had one homer among her two hits.

Skyler Schuette collected two hits, including a double, for Clovis. Bryana Gallagher had one RBI, and Janelle Macias added a double for the Lady Wildcats.

Though Pousson was the losing pitcher, she struck out five and scattered the four Lovington hits.