NEW MEXICO HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

Capital’s softball team provided a rude welcome to visiting Raton Monday when it handily swept a non-district doubleheader,16-0 in the 3-inning opener, and 21-6 in the 7-inning closer, to advance its overall record to 11-9 and hand the Tigers their seventh straight setback.

Once again, Jaguars’ freshman Jaden Padilla continued her chili-hot hitting and upped her batting average to .464 by doing most of her damage in the closer with a pair of hits, four RBI, scored five times and hit one of three home runs in the 11-run second inning. She also kept her on-base percentage at 0.561 and as an infielder, now has a 1.071 fielding percentage.

The opener went quickly. It was called after three innings when Capital pieced together three runs in the first, three more in the second, and a huge 10 in the third. It was then that the run-rule was applied. Junior Athena Grimley pitched the three innings, and the big blow was the grand slam home run in the third by senior Mariah Meillas, her third four-bagger of the season.

Game two almost became a mercy-rule final. but trailing 15-0, Raton (3-14) came up with six runs in the top of the third. In the bottom of the inning, the Jags responded with three solo home runs, one each by Padilla, junior Anika Rodriguez, and Grimley, who played the outfield before returning to the circle and hurling the last one and one-third frames, plus she has a batting average of .491.

But this one went the official seven innings as Raton finally crossed the plate,

Meanwhile, Capital moved up to No. 13 in 5A. Its next stop is in a doubleheader Saturday (10 a.m. and noon) at district and crosstown rival Santa Fe High, which is a dismal 2-19, and if the Jaguars continue their hit parade, it could mean more trouble for the Demonettes.

Raton, whose last victory came by outscoring Hatch Valley, 31-16, also plays at Santa Fe High Wednesday in a District 5-5A 4 p.m. contest. And on Friday, the Tigers head for a non-district doubleheader at St. Michael’s, with scheduled starting times 3 and 5 p.m. The Lady Horsemen are 8-11 overall.