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The drama lasted four pitches.
That was when Mayfield sophomore Ausaundra Roberto sent a laser-shot leadoff home run over the centerfield wall at Lobo Softball Field — the first of three home runs for her in the game — setting the tone in a record-setting 20-2, six-inning win over cross-town rival Las Cruces High on Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A Softball Championship.
Roberto’s three home runs give her 20 for the season (tied for second most in state history) and the Trojans a state-record 98 as a team. The 20 runs was the most ever scored in a big school championship (Loving once scored 23 in a 1A/2A title game) and, most importantly for Roberto, handing Mayfield its first-ever softball title.
"Starting the game with a home run has got to be the best feeling ever," said Roberto.
"... And for us to do this for our two seniors and for this being the first for Mayfield, it just means everything to us."
Added head coach Daniel Dominguez of Roberto's 4-for-5, three homer, 7 RBI game from the leadoff spot, "That's exactly the type of start that you want to set the tone for the rest of the game."
Despite the gaudy numbers they put up this season — Mayfield's 98 home runs in a season is at least 30 homers more than any other team the Journal was able to find records for — Saturday's championship didn't come without overcoming some hurdles.
The Trojans (29-2) started the season without star senior pitcher Angelina Ramirez, who had a cyst removed from her hip. She pitched in her first game this season Friday and came in to close out Saturday's championship.
Last week, No. 16 seed Rio Rancho nearly — and arguably should have — upset the top-seeded Trojans before Mayfield rallied from down two runs in the seventh inning for a 5-4 win in the single elimination portion of the tournament.
Wednesday, the Trojans' bus broke down in Socorro on the way to Albuquerque. They caught a ride the rest of the way to Albuquerque from ... the Bulldawgs.
Las Cruces (18-14), the 10 seed, upset in the tournament No. 2 Alamogordo (twice), No. 3 Organ Mountain, No. 6 Piedra Vista and No. 7 Albuquerque High.
Class 4A
Kayden Apodaca has been a workhorse for the Artesia Bulldogs since joining varsity as an eighth-grader in the 2022 season.
She's pitched 370 innings, struck out 470 batters, won 47 games and, at the plate, there were the 58 home runs and 193 RBIs on her stat sheet.
Saturday, thanks to her teammates having her back, she finally hoisted her first championship trophy after an 8-3 Artesia win over Aztec in the second game of the Class 4A Championship series.
"It just feels really good — my senior year and I've never gotten this before," a teary-eyed Apodaca, who is BYU bound in college, told the Journal after the championship win.
Saturday may have included the perfect ending, but it didn't start that way.
After a solo home run in the third inning that put the top-seeded Bulldogs up 3-0 in the first game of the day, Apodaca was clearly struggling in the pitcher's circle in the top of the fourth — shrugging her shoulders, stretching her back.
Her pitching line for the inning: Hit-by-pitch. Walk. Walk. Grand slam off the powerful bat of Aztec's Kayci Phillips.
No. 2 Aztec took the lead 4-3 and a rattled, hurting Apodaca left the game, which the Tigers eventually won, 6-3, forcing the if-necessary Game 2.
"She wouldn't say it, but I think it was more of the mental side of it than her back," Artesia coach Sandra Pulido said. "She felt like she had to do a lot of it on her own. We weren't hitting behind her, and that's hard (for) a pitcher to not have the bats going. ... But we knew they had to take it from us twice to win this thing."
With no Apodaca (back) or second pitcher Katrin Marquez (knee) to pitch in the decisive second game, Danyela Muñoz pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs and senior shortstop Jenna Whitmire had three hits, including a two-RBI single — in a four-run first — and a double. She ended up scoring on her double after an error in the third, leading Artesia to the Game 2 win.
"I had trust in my teammates," Apodaca said. "And we finished this off the way we wanted."
Reach Geoff Grammer at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
Continue reading...
That was when Mayfield sophomore Ausaundra Roberto sent a laser-shot leadoff home run over the centerfield wall at Lobo Softball Field — the first of three home runs for her in the game — setting the tone in a record-setting 20-2, six-inning win over cross-town rival Las Cruces High on Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A Softball Championship.
Roberto’s three home runs give her 20 for the season (tied for second most in state history) and the Trojans a state-record 98 as a team. The 20 runs was the most ever scored in a big school championship (Loving once scored 23 in a 1A/2A title game) and, most importantly for Roberto, handing Mayfield its first-ever softball title.
"Starting the game with a home run has got to be the best feeling ever," said Roberto.
"... And for us to do this for our two seniors and for this being the first for Mayfield, it just means everything to us."
Added head coach Daniel Dominguez of Roberto's 4-for-5, three homer, 7 RBI game from the leadoff spot, "That's exactly the type of start that you want to set the tone for the rest of the game."
Despite the gaudy numbers they put up this season — Mayfield's 98 home runs in a season is at least 30 homers more than any other team the Journal was able to find records for — Saturday's championship didn't come without overcoming some hurdles.
The Trojans (29-2) started the season without star senior pitcher Angelina Ramirez, who had a cyst removed from her hip. She pitched in her first game this season Friday and came in to close out Saturday's championship.
Last week, No. 16 seed Rio Rancho nearly — and arguably should have — upset the top-seeded Trojans before Mayfield rallied from down two runs in the seventh inning for a 5-4 win in the single elimination portion of the tournament.
Wednesday, the Trojans' bus broke down in Socorro on the way to Albuquerque. They caught a ride the rest of the way to Albuquerque from ... the Bulldawgs.
Las Cruces (18-14), the 10 seed, upset in the tournament No. 2 Alamogordo (twice), No. 3 Organ Mountain, No. 6 Piedra Vista and No. 7 Albuquerque High.
Class 4A
Kayden Apodaca has been a workhorse for the Artesia Bulldogs since joining varsity as an eighth-grader in the 2022 season.
She's pitched 370 innings, struck out 470 batters, won 47 games and, at the plate, there were the 58 home runs and 193 RBIs on her stat sheet.
Saturday, thanks to her teammates having her back, she finally hoisted her first championship trophy after an 8-3 Artesia win over Aztec in the second game of the Class 4A Championship series.
"It just feels really good — my senior year and I've never gotten this before," a teary-eyed Apodaca, who is BYU bound in college, told the Journal after the championship win.
Saturday may have included the perfect ending, but it didn't start that way.
After a solo home run in the third inning that put the top-seeded Bulldogs up 3-0 in the first game of the day, Apodaca was clearly struggling in the pitcher's circle in the top of the fourth — shrugging her shoulders, stretching her back.
Her pitching line for the inning: Hit-by-pitch. Walk. Walk. Grand slam off the powerful bat of Aztec's Kayci Phillips.
No. 2 Aztec took the lead 4-3 and a rattled, hurting Apodaca left the game, which the Tigers eventually won, 6-3, forcing the if-necessary Game 2.
"She wouldn't say it, but I think it was more of the mental side of it than her back," Artesia coach Sandra Pulido said. "She felt like she had to do a lot of it on her own. We weren't hitting behind her, and that's hard (for) a pitcher to not have the bats going. ... But we knew they had to take it from us twice to win this thing."
With no Apodaca (back) or second pitcher Katrin Marquez (knee) to pitch in the decisive second game, Danyela Muñoz pitched a complete game for the Bulldogs and senior shortstop Jenna Whitmire had three hits, including a two-RBI single — in a four-run first — and a double. She ended up scoring on her double after an error in the third, leading Artesia to the Game 2 win.
"I had trust in my teammates," Apodaca said. "And we finished this off the way we wanted."
Reach Geoff Grammer at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
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