ALBUQUERQUE -- The Carlsbad High School softball team earned its 18th state title on Saturday, beating Piedra Vista by a final of 6-0 in the second game of a championship doubleheader at the University of New Mexico.
Carlsbad, which entered the championship round having not lost a game in the New Mexico Activities Associations’s state tournament, only needed one win Saturday to earn the blue trophy, while the Panthers would need to win twice over the Cavegirls, having lost once earlier in the tournament.
Seeded second in the Class 5A tournament, Carlsbad came up short in the first game, losing to Piedra Vista 3-2 and forcing the “if necessary” game to be played. Carlsbad, led by senior pitcher Faith Aragon, shut down the Panthers in the decisive game, allowing only one hit and a pair of walks on the way to a 6-0 triumph and a second consecutive state championship.
Aragon struck out nine Piedra Vista hitters in the deciding game of the championship round, adding to her total of 180 on the season. The 2022 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year will be headed to the University of Texas, El Paso to continue her softball career.
“She already had a super career when we won it last year, and she just bettered it this year,” Carlsbad coach Brian Santo told the Albuquerque Journal. “She’s been unbelievable for us, and all these seniors have.”
Carlsbad was led offensively in the second game by senior Johnna Aragon, who notched a pair of runs batted in with a 2-run home run to center field in the top of the third inning. That home run was part of a four-run frame that put the Panthers down 5-0 and drained the Panthers dugout in their quest for a state title.
Pitcher Emma Lovato, who came into the tournament leading the state in strikeouts and had recorded more than 30 of them in winning all three games of consolation round action on Friday, was knocked out of the deciding game on Saturday afternoon after throwing 3-plus innings and striking out a pair of batters. Lovato struck out in the opening game over the Cavegirls, padding her season total to 282 for the season.
“(Emma) is such a warrior and such a fierce competitor,” said Piedra Vista head coach Kevin Werth. “She gave everything she had until the tank ran out and still wanted to go.”
The Cavegirls end the season with a record of 29-3, tying the 2018 Artesia Bulldogs for the third-most wins in a single season. Carlsbad’s 18th state title places them second in the state for the most blue trophies, only two behind Loving High School, which owns 20 state titles, including a Class 2A title this year.
Piedra Vista, the four-seed entering the tournament, finishes its season with a record of 29-5, tying the team record for most wins in a season.
“There were so many great moments and I’m grateful for the staff, our parents and the community,” Werth said.
