Santa Fe Indian School opens District 5-4A softball

Santa Fe Indian School opens District 5-4A softball play by turning back visiting Albuquerque Sandia Prep, 12-1, Tuesday In District 2-4A at St. Michael’s, Pojoaque Valley scores late for 13-9 victory over the Lady Horsemen

By Arnie Leshin 

One defeat, 8-6 to Capital High, is all that separates the Santa Fe Indian School softball team from having an unblemished record.

Tuesday’s 12-1 five-inning mercy-rule win in the District 5-4A opener over visiting Albuquerque Sandia Prep brought the Braves’ overall mark to 11-1 and dropped the Sundevils to 8-8.

Due to spring break, Indian School hadn’t played since nipping Raton, 8-7, back on March 17. But it didn’t show any sights of rust, inactivity.

“I was there every day,” said head coach Oliver Torres, “Monday to Friday, one the field for an hour and a half. They were more than welcome to come and hit the ball and work on defense, and a lot of the players came during break.”

The Braves went in front 6-0 after three innings, but Sandia Prep scored once in the top of the fourth, and had the bases loaded with no out. But starting pitcher, senior Ariana Marcotte, started a double play on a bouncer back to the circle, and that cut short the threat.

In the last of the fourth, Indian School pushed across six runs and that brought the shortened game. The big hit in the uprising was junior Jayda Lucero’s triple with the bags full, and she then scored when the throw to third was wild.

The next district start for the Braves is Thursday at Bernalillo.

At the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex, visiting Pojoaque Valley came up with five runs in the fifth and sixth innings to down St. Michael’s, 13-9, in District 2-4A play.

In the fourth, the Elkettes scored twice after the Lady Horsemen had forced a 8-8 tie, and then scored three more times in the sixth. St. Michael’s responded with a run in the bottom of the seventh, and had two runners aboard with two out, but the last out dropped it too 2-11 overall and winless in five district outings.

Pojoaque advanced to 7-10 overall and had its first triumph in four starts of district play.

It was 4-4 after the first inning that saw both teams score four times. The Elkettes then took an 8-7 lead after three, while St. Michael’s pushed across one run in the fourth for the 8-8 deadlock.

Saturday, the Lady Horsemen welcome Taos in a district doubleheader that is scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m.

That same day, Santa Fe High gets a visit from Clovis in a 2-6A doubleheader slated for 1 and 3 p.m. In 2-4A, it’s a twin bill matching Robertson at West Las Vegas, and in 2-5A Los Alamos plays two at Albuquerque Del Norte, with both scheduled for 11 and 1 p.m. starts.