ST. MICHAEL’S SOFTBALL

Junior Isabella Lopez, the St. Michael’s starting catcher, is trying to make up for lost time.

Two years ago, she broke her wrist when hit by a pitch in the second game of the season and did not play again. And last year, St. Michael’s did not play at all because of the coronavirus pandemic.

So, with the Lady Horsemen at 2-2 after Monday’s 15-1 loss at Pojoaque Valley, Lopez leads the team in hitting with a .429 average, and in the Pojoaque and Bernalillo (a 12-1 defeat), games, she scored the lone run in each game.

“Against undefeated Bernalillo,” said St. Michael’s head coach Joe Alvarez, “Idyz was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, stole second base, went to second on a passed ball, and scored on a passed ball. Against Pojoaque, she led off the third with a double, took third on a ground out, and scored on a passed ball.”

Thursday afternoon, the Lady Horsemen are home with a doubleheader scheduled for a 3 o’clock start versus Socorro, which will be playing its first game.

Alvarez said the setback to Bernalillo (9-0) at home was close for 2-3 innings, but in the fourth Bernalillo clouted 2 and 3-run home runs to begin the rout. The Spartans have outscored their opponents 129-12.

Against Pojoaque (2-3), Alvarez added that they had a problem at bat because of the slow pitching being thrown that they couldn’t deal with.

“We’ve got to get better pitching and hitting,” Alvarez said. “We’ve got a full 20-game schedule and open play in district on May 18th at West Las Vegas, which is now 4-0, the same as Robertson.”

Versus Socorro, he said he intends to send right handers Mariah Valdez, a junior, and senior Athena Archuletta to the circle, and hopes that Lopez doesn’t get hit by pitches anymore.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe High has lost all eight games and Capital is 2-5. The Demonettes play at Bernalillo today and the Jaguars are home to Albuquerque Rio Grande (1-6) Saturday. Santa Fe has scored 23 runs and allowed 101. Capital has tallied 48 times and yielded 74.

St. Michael’s had opened its season at home with a doubleheader sweep of East Mountain, 13-2 and 6-0, and has scored 21 times and has allowed 29 runs.