ALBUQUERQUE – The Piedra Vista High School softball team won all three of its elimination round matchups on Friday and will face Carlsbad on Saturday for a chance to win the New Mexico Activities Association’s Class 5A state title.
With wins on Friday over Cibola, Alamogordo and Centennial, the fourth-seeded Panthers will face the second-seeded Cavemen, which have not lost a game during the state tournament. Piedra Vista will need to win both halves of a championship doubleheader which gets underway Saturday at noon at the University of New Mexico.
The Panthers win on Friday night over Centennial avenged its only loss in the tournament on Thursday, when they came up short against the Hawks by a final of 3-1. Centennial came into the semifinal round unbeaten this season before losing to Carlsbad by a final of 2-1, setting up the elimination round clash against the Panthers.
Piedra Vista started the consolation round action on Friday easily beating Cibola by a final of 11-0, scoring seven runs in the second inning and led offensively by Brookelynne Cadrain, who drove in six runs while hitting a pair of home runs.
The Panthers slipped past Alamogordo in the second game of the day by a final of 1-0, breaking a scoreless tie when Brianna Sledge scored on an error in the bottom of the seventh inning.
In the nightcap, Piedra Vista scored a pair of runs in the first and third innings, then held off a late rally by the Hawks to preserve a 4-2 win and advancing into Saturday’s championship round.
“The kids played with tremendous heart and just persevered,” said Piedra Vista head coach Kevin Werth. “The energy in all three games was just electric.”
Pitcher Emma Lovato stole the show for the Panthers, winning all three games on Friday, throwing nearly 300 pitches and striking out 31 hitters in the course of the three games. Lovato struck 11 Cibola hitters in the opening game, then 10 more in wins over Alamogordo and Centennial.
In the finale, the Hawks trailed 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but scored a run and had bases loaded with two outs and Zantelle Rodriguez at the plate. Lovato struck out Rodriguez to end the threat and preserve the win.
“I’m just so proud and excited for the girls to go out there and experience this moment,” Werth said. “We won three times today so there’s no reason we can’t win two tomorrow.”
Carlsbad, with a record of 28-2 on the season, is making its fourth straight appearance in the state championship. The Cavemen are currently second all-time in the state of New Mexico for state softball titles with 17, trailing only Loving High School with 19. Piedra Vista, which last played for the state title in 2014, is hoping to secure its 10th championship.
