Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Clovis High junior catcher Brooke Renteria dives in a futile attempt to try and tag a Roswell Goddard runner at the plate after chasing down a pitch that got away during the first game of Saturday's softball doubleheader at Lady Wildcat Field. The Lady Rockets posted a 15-0, 8-6 sweep over the Lady Wildcats.
Routed in its first three meetings this season against Roswell Goddard, Clovis High's softball team managed to throw a bit of a scare into the Lady Rockets on Saturday.
Down 7-1 in the fourth inning, the Lady Wildcats pulled to within a run in the sixth but couldn't complete the rally in an 8-6 setback at Lady Wildcat Field.
Goddard (10-5) swept the four-game season series from CHS, but after outscoring the Lady Cats 54-1 in the first three tilts – including a 15-0, three-inning run rule win in Saturday's opener – the Lady Rockets found themselves having to hang on at the end.
After adding a run in the top of the seventh, Goddard went back to freshman ace Juliet Gallegos to close out the final frame.
"The second game was much better," said CHS assistant coach Kaitlyn Wolfe, who filled in for head coach Johnny Saiz for a fourth consecutive game. "It was so much better, and you can't ask for any more than that."
In the opener, the Lady Rockets made short work of it with four runs in the first, eight in the second and three in the third, ending the game after three on the 15-run rule and leaving Gallegos with an abbreviated no-hitter.
Senior Avery Chavez went 2-for-3 with a walk while sophomore Lindsey Campa was 2-for-2 and scored three times for Goddard.
Another freshman, Jayla Morales, was in the circle for Goddard in Game 2, but the Lady Cats (2-8) began to chip away with single runs in the fourth and fifth and three in the sixth.
Junior Brooke Renteria hit an RBI double in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fifth while freshman Gianna Cordova singled home a run in the fourth. The Lady Cats then went to work in the sixth, pulling to 7-6 on run-scoring doubles by senior Giselle Romero, sophomore Sophie Roberts and freshman pitcher Kiara Noack.
Gallegos made sure the game wouldn't get away from Goddard, though, striking out the side in the seventh while pitching around a two-out error.
"She's a good pitcher," Wolfe said of Gallegos. "She places the ball really well."
Sophomore Marisol Hernandez and eighth-grader Jorelianis Guzman were both 2-for-4 for Goddard. Guzman delivered a double.
The Lady Cats were to return to action with a doubleheader at Eunice on Tuesday. Next Tuesday, they travel to Portales for a pair of games.
Santa Fe Capital 6-6, Portales 5-16 – The Lady Rams completed a 2-1 weekend swing through the capital city, rallying after a first-game loss to the Lady Jaguars on Saturday for a run-rule win in five innings in Game 2.
Portales (5-4), which beat Santa Fe High 12-1 on Friday, scored in every inning of the nightcap. In the opener, the Lady Rams tied the game with two runs in the top of the seventh before Capital (7-7) pushed across the game-winner in the bottom half.
PHS makes another trek to Santa Fe this weekend for a three-day tournament starting on Thursday and hosted by St. Michael's.
