There’s a sense of urgency that comes with the final weekend of state sports championships in New Mexico.
Between athletes and fans rushing back and forth between softball fields in Rio Rancho, baseball fields on the outskirts of west Albuquerque, and the track and field complex at the University of New Mexico, it’s an ever-present feeling that there just isn’t enough time to get everything done.
It’s the same feeling that’s left when a team comes one step short of its goal.
Joy turning to agony in an instant — and vice versa — is a common theme in sports, and at the high-school level, it’s a lesson that prepares young athletes for adulthood. Win with class. Lose with dignity. There was plenty of both last weekend for the Bulldog baseball, Lady Bulldog softball and AHS track and field teams.
From the Diamond ‘Dogs reaching the Class 4A title game by way of an extra-innings win over District 4-AAAA rival Goddard, to the Lady ‘Dogs battling their way through the losers’ bracket to reach the championship final, to track athletes propelling their teams into hardware contention with individual state crowns — Artesia’s athletes may not have had time to achieve everything, but for what they did achieve, they gave everything.
BULLDOG BASEBALL
At the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex in Albuquerque Thursday afternoon, the fifth-ranked boys in orange notched a significant coup against a No. 4 St. Pius program that had eliminated Artesia from the baseball playoffs in all five of the teams’ five meetings since 2011, defeating the Sartans by a final of 4-0.
Following a pitchers’ duel between Bulldog sophomore Jack Byers and Sartan senior Ruben Jepsen that lasted five complete innings, the Diamond ‘Dogs were first on the board in the top of the sixth when Daelon Pacheco — on with a leadoff line-drive single off the Pius third baseman — advanced to second and third on ground outs before scoring on a clutch two-out single to right-center by shortstop Jett Fuentes.
Byers got a fly-out to Jett Whitmire in right, a line-out to Kaden Beauregard in left, and a strikeout to seat the Sartans in order in the home half of the inning, and Artesia would add three big insurance runs to their tally in the top of seven on a two-RBI triple by Diego Morales and a base hit to right by Jesse Armendariz.
The Bulldogs then delivered their third consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half to end the game on consecutive ground balls to Rickey Armendariz at first and a ground out to Nye Estrada at second. Byers surrendered just two hits while striking out seven in a stellar seven innings of work.
The win set up a semifinal showdown between the ‘Dogs and the top-ranked Rockets, who earned their No. 1 seed by way of a 2-1 showing against Artesia in D4 play.
But as fans on both sides know, Artesia-Goddard is one of those “throw out the record books” matchups in every sport.
The Rockets were first on the board in Friday’s semifinal, plating one run in the bottom of the second on a Michael Mathison RBI triple. The ‘Dogs responded with the tying run in the top of three on a Jack Byers bases-loaded walk, but Goddard would go back up 4-1 in the home half on an RBI ground out and a pair of errors.
That score held until the top of the fifth, when Artesia cut its deficit in half on a Frankie Galindo RBI triple to right-center, and while sophomore relief pitcher Daelon Pacheco and his defense held the Rockets scoreless for the second straight at-bat in the bottom half, time was swiftly running out for the boys in orange.
Then came the sixth.
A leadoff walk by Diego Morales proved fruitful when the sophomore scored on an infield-single-turned-error by Kaden Beauregard. And with two away, Beauregard would join Jett Whitmire in touching them all on an inside-the-park home run by the latter after Goddard’s outfield lost the ball in the sun.
With new life, Artesia had a chance to potentially end things in regulation in the top of seven but left two in scoring position, and the ‘Dogs got out of a jam in the bottom of the inning following a leadoff two-base error, with Pacheco striking out two and getting a fly out to right to send the game into extras.
There, the Bulldogs went down quickly in order in the top of the eighth, while the Rockets followed a leadoff walk with three fly outs in the home half. The ninth got off to a much better start for Artesia, however, as Nye Estrada singled to left, advanced to second on a bunt single by Galindo and to third on a Byers fly out, and scored on an RBI fielder’s choice from Pacheco.
That gave the ‘Dogs a 6-5 lead with two away, but they weren’t done yet. Diego Morales kicked off a brief two-out rally with a triple to right that plated Pacheco, and Morales would come home on an RBI double from Jesse Armendariz to give Artesia a confidence-boosting pair of insurance runs.
Ground balls to Estrada at second and Byers at third and a big K from Pacheco ended the game, 8-5.
With that, the Bulldogs were on their way to their first 4A state title game since 2019, where waited the second-ranked Grants Pirates.
To that point, the Pirates had been squeaking past their state-tourney opponents, topping No. 10 Bernalillo 4-2 in the quarterfinal round and edging No. 6 Albuquerque Academy 6-5 in the semis. The ‘Dogs knew they were more than capable of getting the job done, and through two innings, it appeared they were on their way.
After a Byers sac-fly made it 1-0 Artesia in the first, two more runs in the second had the boys in orange up 3-2 going into the third. But Grants was able to turn the tables, taking a 5-3 advantage heading into the fourth, and try as they might, the ‘Dogs couldn’t make up the ground.
Artesia got a leadoff double from Jett Whitmire in the fifth, but he and Frankie Galindo — aboard with a wild pitch — were left standing. And what looked to be a stage perfectly set for another last-minute comeback — two runners on with no outs following back-to-back singles in the seventh by Jett Fuentes and Whitmire — came to naught as Fuentes was thrown out attempting to steal third and a pop-fly to the catcher and diving catch of a line drive to center by Byers ended the game.
“They really came together as a team,” head coach JJ Ortiz said of his athletes’ performance over the course of the tournament. “Everyone picking each other up; happy with the team chemistry.”
Sheer determination carried the ‘Dogs through several of their outings over the course of the season and at state, and that’s something of which Ortiz and his staff are proud.
“It really helps that all of our players play multiple sports, and by playing multiple sports, they’re all in big games,” said the coach. “And when they bring it to baseball, they’re ready for those moments. They really bought into all the things that we wanted to do and it really showed on the field.”
The Bulldogs will bid farewell this year to seniors Jesse Armendariz, Rickey Armendariz, Nye Estrada, David Hammond, Andrew Rodriguez, Josiah Rodriguez and Diego Wesson.
“The leadership the seniors brought was huge this year,” said Ortiz. “With them playing in a lot of big games in baseball, it helped to calm the nerves of the young players that we have.”
LADY BULLDOG SOFTBALL
At the Cleveland High School softball complex in Rio Rancho, the No. 5 Lady Bulldogs got the first round of double-elimination play off to an excellent start Thursday morning with a 7-0 win over fourth-ranked St. Pius. That game was delayed over an hour due to heavy rainfall in the area.
The Artesia girls took a four-run lead out of the bottom of the first in that contest, batting around in their inaugural trip to the plate and scoring on a Mikenzi Carlo RBI ground out and three consecutive bases-loaded walks from Kinsley Rodriguez, Makayla Lujan and Zowe Warren.
With senior pitcher Madison Martinez and her defense holding the Lady Sartans at bay, the Lady ‘Dogs would add insurance runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings to ultimately round out the 7-0 final. Lujan — on with a leadoff triple — came home on a McKenna Morrison ground out in the third and also scored Artesia’s run in the fifth after reaching on a leadoff walk and coming around on a single up the middle from Perseis Aguilar. Carlo — aboard with a leadoff base hit — then scored in the sixth on a two-out single from Rodriguez.
Martinez tossed a four-hitter through seven complete with nine Ks. At the plate, Aguilar was 2-2 with an RBI, Martinez 2-4 and Lujan 1-1.
Top-ranked Gallup was able to turn the tables on the Lady Bulldogs Thursday afternoon, however, taking four runs of their own out of the first inning en route to a 6-2 win.
Minus that opening at-bat — which saw Gallup score on a Morgan Belone RBI double and RBI singles from Madison Martinez, Leia Tso and Yanabah Harvey — things were evenly matched between the Lady ‘Dogs and Lady Bengals. The Artesia girls got their first run on the board in the top of the second on a solo home run over the fence in center from pitcher Kayden Apodaca and cut their deficit in half, 4-2, in the fifth on an error.
The Lady Bulldogs also had multiple other chances to tie things up and take the lead, losing runners — and giving up double plays — in both the third and fourth innings on line-drive pick-offs and leaving eight total stranded on the bout. The Lady Bengals, meanwhile, plated their fifth and sixth runs — both unearned — in the bottom of the sixth on a Jazmine Marrufo base hit up the middle.
The early loss unfortunately tipped the Lady ‘Dogs into the dreaded losers’ bracket, which meant three win-or-go-home contests on Saturday for the right to a rematch with Gallup. It was a long row to hoe, but with not one but three come-from-behind wins, Artesia got the job done.
Artesia’s first game in the losers’ bracket Friday morning was likely giving 2022 for head coach Sandra Pulido and her upperclassman — through six-and-a-half innings, anyway. That year saw top-ranked Artesia tumble into the bottom half of the bracket following its very first game in Rio Rancho before battling its way back into the losers’ bracket semifinal with a trio of wins. The Lady ‘Dogs would trip on the last step up to the championship round, however, falling to a Lovington team they’d beaten for the District 4-AAAA title, 17-15.
This year, it was the Lady Wildcats who took the district crown and the No. 2 seed, and for much of the game, it looked as if they’d once again be playing state spoiler to the Lady Bulldogs as well. Lovington ended an early defensive battle with the game’s first run in the top of the fourth, and while Artesia would tie it up in the home half on a Madison Martinez RBI single, the ‘Cats would plate three more in the fifth to go up 4-1.
The Lady ‘Dogs were able to make that 4-2 in the sixth on an Elizabeth De La Riva RBI base hit, but with Lovington tacking on an insurance run in the top of seven, Artesia was down 5-2 going into its final at-bat of regulation.
Taking advantage of what presented itself, the girls in orange loaded the bases on a trio of Wildcat errors before scoring its third run on a Martinez RBI ground out. Following a strikeout, however, the Lady ‘Dogs needed a clutch two-out hit, and they got it from Kinsley Rodriguez, who sent a single into left to knot the game at 5-all.
With the International Tie-Breaker in effect, the Lady ‘Cats were able to go up 6-5 in the top of the eighth on a wild pitch, but Artesia got that run back in the bottom half on an RBI ground-ball single to right by De La Riva. The top of the ninth would be a seemingly disastrous one for the Lady Bulldogs, however, with Lovington scoring three on a Jocelynn Holguin RBI single and a two-out two-RBI double from Honey Morales.
Down 9-6, the Lady ‘Dogs were able to pull within two on a quick RBI double to right-center from Martinez, but following a fielder’s choice, Artesia was left with runners on the corners and one away. Makayla Lujan kept Artesia’s title hopes alive with a single swing, however, delivering a walk-off three-run homer that set the final, 10-9 in nine innings.
Artesia wouldn’t give its fans’ blood pressure a break moving forward, either.
Squaring off with No. 7 Aztec — the squad that had sent Lovington into the losers’ bracket with a 6-4 win Thursday morning — the Lady Bulldogs fell behind 1-0 in the top of the second but were able to tie things up at 1-all in the home half. From there, however, it would be three-and-a-half innings of suspense before Artesia was able to break the tie, 2-1, in the bottom of the sixth. They’d hold on in the seventh for the one-run win.
No doubt exhausted after 16 tense innings, the NMAA was not feeling sympathetic, launching Artesia into its third game of the day without so much as a 10-minute break. Taking on a No. 3 Silver team that had fallen to Gallup 4-1 Friday morning, the Lady ‘Dogs once again fell into an early hole, 1-0, in the first inning, and three more would go by before Artesia was able to answer.
The Lady ‘Dogs got the tie, 1-1, in the top of five on a Mikenzi Carlo RBI double that scored McKenna Morrison — aboard with a leadoff base hit — and after leaving a Lady Colt runner stranded at second in the home half, Artesia took the lead in the sixth on a Zowe Warren RBI double and an RBI base hit to left from Morrison.
Not in the mood for any more extra-inning affairs, however, starting pitcher Martinez and her defense proceeded to seat Silver in order in both their sixth and seventh at-bats to end the game and the long day.
And the suspense wasn’t over.
The Lady ‘Dogs headed into Championship Saturday needing two wins over the Lady Bengals to upend them for the title. Round One went to Artesia.
A solo shot over the fence in right-center by Kayden Apodaca proved to be all the girls in orange needed amidst a pitchers’ duel between the squads’ senior aces, Artesia’s Madison Martinez and Gallup’s Seniah Haines.
Martinez pitched her way out of a bases-loaded situation in the second and runners on third in the fifth and sixth at-bats. In a dramatic bottom-of-the-seventh, the bases were loaded again on a Haines walk and back-to-back base hits from Brenna Becenti and Jazmine Marrufo, but a fly ball to McKenna Morrison in center became a double play when Morrison gunned Haines down at home as she attempted to score on the tag.
It was more than anyone could ask for the Lady ‘Dogs to have fought their way back to the deciding game. And unfortunately, that’s where they finally ran out of gas.
On 10 hits to Artesia’s six, the fresher Lady Bengals compiled seven runs that the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t match. The Lady ‘Dogs scored once in the top of the third when Elizabeth De La Riva reached on a single and crossed on an error. They’d put runners on in all seven of their at-bats — including one in scoring position in the seventh — but were unable to string together the offense needed for a comeback.
“They came out and fought hard from Day One, and for us to be able to fight on Friday, win those three games and give everybody a heart attack, was just amazing,” head coach Sandra Pulido said. “We’re more than proud of these girls. It’s not the blue, but we can definitely be proud of bringing home the red.”
Pulido had high praise for her pitching staff and the role they played in getting Artesia to the final step.
“Pitching came in clutch for us,” she said. “The leadership they showed in the circle and the confidence they had all weekend was amazing. They battled up here for their teammates and battled for them all year, and we’re very proud of their performance.”
The Lady ‘Dogs will lose a host of program veterans to graduation this year in seniors Perseis Aguilar, Mikenzi Carlo, Ariana Chavez, Elizabeth De La Riva, Paola Gonzalez, Necel Jimenez, Madison Martinez, McKenna Morrison, Haley Tucker and Zowe Warren.
“A lot of these girls have been with us for four or five years, and just to see the growth they’ve had, not just over the four years but this year in general,” Pulido said. “They’ve grown, they became leaders, and they showed the underclassmen what it takes to be champions, how to fight and how to dig, how to play with heart, and how to play for each other. We’re sad to see them all go, but we’re excited to see what the future holds for every single one of them.”
AHS TRACK AND FIELD
While the baseball and softball teams were punching their tickets to the title rounds Friday, the track and field teams were across town getting the ball rolling with some thrilling individual championship wins.
The Bulldogs were first to the top of the podium, with sophomore Marco Soto taking the 4A boys’ shot put title Friday morning with a throw of 50’2″. Friday afternoon, junior Zane Baize claimed the 1600-meter run gold in a thrilling finish, passing both Los Alamos’ Benjamin Sanchez and Del Norte’s Jorge Garcia in the stretch with a time of 4:25.68.
That wasn’t the only excitement the ‘Dogs delivered on the track Friday, as the 800-meter relay team qualified for the finals with a prelim time of 1:28.46. That time broke the state record of 1:28.60 still held by Artesia’s 1991 relay team of Paul Bennett, Jeremiah Mullen, James Truex and Tim Foley. Unfortunately, the new record was broken Saturday by Los Alamos with a 1:26.19 after the Bulldogs were disqualified in the final.
The Lady Bulldogs added a pair of state titles of their own on Finals Saturday, with junior Hattie Harrison topping the competition with a time of 15-flat in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles and the 1600 medley relay team of Kaitlyn Addington, Gabriela Aguilar, Sydney Boone and Makaylee Morillon blowing past their opponents in that race with a 4:17.00.
Those championships helped both Artesia teams earn third-place finishes at the Class 4A State Meet, behind Los Alamos — which swept the girls’ and boys’ meet — and second-place Albuquerque Academy.
Other podium performances included:
- Lorin Wagner, second, girls’ shot put, 39’11.5″
- Zane Baize, second, boys’ 800-meter run, 1:56.78
- Girls’ 400-meter relay, third, 49.75
- Boys’ 400-meter relay, third, 41.96
- Sydney Boone, third, girls’ 800-meter run, 2:20.67
- Boys’ 3200-meter relay, third, 8:30.06
- Girls’ 1600-meter relay, third, 4:08.51
- Parker jarratt, T-third, boys’ high jump, 6’2″
- Tootie McNeil, fourth, boys’ 110-meter hurdles, 15.56
- Luis Torres, fourth, boys’ 100-meter dash, 11.01
- Hattie Harrison, fourth, girls’ 300-meter hurdles, 46.60
- Makaylee Morillon, fourth, girls’ 1600-meter run, 5:22.17
- Kymber Beltran, fifth, girls’ discus, 111’3″
- Kymber Beltran, fifth, girls’ shot put, 34’8″
- Madison Pittman, fifth, girls’ triple jump, 34’11.25″
- Girls’ 800-meter relay, fifth, 1:47.67
- Tootie McNeil, sixth, boys’ 300-meter hurdles, 41.33
- Luis Torres, sixth, boys’ 200-meter dash, 22.23
- Boys’ 1600-meter relay, sixth, 3:30.82
