Artesia hitter Kayden Apodaca hits a home run against Goddard in the state softball tournament. Artesia defeats Lovington 6-0 on Thursday morning and will face the winner of the Silver and Aztec game on Friday at noon at Cleveland High School on Field 4. Look for updates and photos on the Artesia vs. Lovington game shortly.
Danny Zuniga
RIO RANCHO — Top-seeded Artesia beat Lovington 6-0 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NMAA state softball championships at Cleveland High School, sending the Bulldogs to the semifinals.
Artesia set the tone early and kept pressure on Lovington throughout the game. The Bulldogs finished with 17 hits, and Danyela Munoz reached base four times and scored twice. Isabel Cruz added three hits and an RBI as Artesia continued to put runners on and force Lovington to work from behind. Lovington finished its season at 16-13.
Artesia improved to 25-4 and recorded its eighth shutout of the season, including its second against Lovington this year.
Kayden Apodaca led Artesia with a seven-inning shutout and six strikeouts. She also hit a home run and drove in two runs.
“Kayden was phenomenal in the circle,” Artesia coach Sandra Pulido said. “She was throwing the ball hard, and our defense backed her up.”
The victory was Artesia’s 17th in a row and continued the form that carried the Bulldogs through district play and into the postseason. Artesia had already beaten Bloomfield and Goddard in earlier state tournament games, and Thursday’s win over Lovington moved the Bulldogs one step closer to a state title. With Apodaca controlling the game in the circle and the lineup producing steady contact, Artesia again looked like one of the top teams in Class 4A.
“We had to make sure we played our game and made adjustments at the plate,” Pulido said. “Some girls were struggling early, but they adjusted. They went to small ball, put the ball in play, and made the defense work.”
Artesia will face No. 2 seed Aztec, which is 21-5, at noon Friday at Cleveland High School. The winner will advance to Saturday’s state championship game at the University of New Mexico.