SantaFeToday.com Santa Fe’s Hometown News
By Arnie Leshin
Mariah Valdez, one of two seniors on undefeated St. Michael’s young softball team, took care of the pitching with a one-hit, run-rule five innings, and added a 3-run home run in Friday afternoon‘s 9-1 win over Pojoaque Valley in the annual Roseanne Noedel Memorial Invitational at the Christian Brothers Athletic Activities.
The triumph was the fourth-straight for Joe Alvarez’ Lady Horsemen and will send them against Bernalillo (5-1) in Saturday’s 4 p.m.championship game.
It was 1-0 St. Michael’s after two innings, two more runs came in the third, and Valdez’ 3-run clout made it 8-1 after the Elkettes (3-6) scored once in the top of the fourth and the mercy-rule was applied when the Lady Horsemen added a run in the bottom of the fifth. St. Michael’s had 10 hits and committed a pair of errors. Pojoaque had the one hit and errored twice.
Eighth-grader Ariell Ruiz had two hits, scored twice, and batted in a pair of runs. Sophomore Mia Duran had a 3-hit game and two RBI, and freshman Helena Prevatt came up with two hits and scored twice.
The contest for seventh place is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start matching Espanola Valley and Raton, for fifth place, it’s West Las Vegas against Moriarty at 11:40 a.m., and the third-place paring has Capital versus Pojoaque Valley at 1:40 in the afternoon.
In other games Friday, Santa Fe Indian School (3-1) hanging a 12-2 non-district run-rule triumph over Santa Fe High, which dropped to 1-4. In another non-district contest, it was Pecos (2-0) overwhelming Espanola McCurdy, 24-10, in another mercy-rule ending, with the Bobcats now at 1-1.
