HIGH SCHOOL

Panthers baseball rolls to victory over Miyamura

Steven Bortstein
Farmington Daily Times

FARMINGTON − The Piedra Vista High School baseball and softball teams are playing at a high level in the final days of the non-district season.

Meantime, Aztec High's baseball team fell short in a road loss against Montezuma-Cortez while Kirtland Central's baseball team found its offense in a doubleheader sweep over Navajo Prep.

Here's a glance at some of the action on the diamonds on Thursday across San Juan County.

Baseball

Piedra Vista tops Miyamura 14-4

Piedra Vista's Trapper Paige winds up into a pitch in the top of the third inning of a game against Miyamura, Thursday, March 30, 2023 at Ricketts Park.

The Piedra Vista High School baseball team got off to a fast start Thursday afternoon at Ricketts Park, scoring eight runs in the first inning on its way to a 14-4 victory over Miyamura High School in the final non-district game of the season for the Panthers.

The Pathers added a pair of runs in the second before scoring again in the third and fourth innings in the run-rule victory played in blustery conditions and intermittent showers.

Miyamura's offense couldn't keep up with the Panthers, scoring a run in the first, adding a pair of runs in the second and a run in the fourth inning.

Pitchers Trapper Paige and Pedro Magallanes combined to strike out seven Patriots hitters, allowing only eight runs and three walks over five innings.

More:Busy weekend for local baseball and softball teams

Josh Wulfert did most of the damage at the plate for the Panthers, driving in four runs and scoring three times while going 3 for 3 at the plate with a triple.

Keenan Bejar, Chris Jaeger, Jacob Ramsted and Trey Valdez each scored twice in the contest as Piedra Vista collected 12 hits and took advantage of three Miyaura errorrs.

The District 2-5A season gets underway for the Panthers (11-5) on Saturday at noon on the road against Eldorado. Piedra Vista is currently ranked eighth by MaxPreps in Class 5A this season. The Golden Eagles, with a record of 7-7, are led by Kaleb Carnes with 21 RBI's and a .415 batting average.

Aztec stumbles on the road at Montezuma-Cortez

The Montezuma-Cortez High School baseball team staved off a late rally at home against Aztec to earn a 5-4 victory.

The Tigers wasted an early 3-0 lead, giving up a run in the bottom of the third, then losing the lead when the Panthers scored three times in the bottom of the fifth inning, adding to that lead with a run in the sixth inning.

Down 5-3 in the top of the seventh, Aztec rallied when Sylas Hengst scored from third on a wild pitch from Darren Dawes. With runners on first and second and two out, Xavier Newton lined out to end the game.

More:Teams finding creative ways to keep active during weather delays

Aztec has lost of its last five games and heads into the District 1-4A campaign with a record of 8-6. The Tigers will be home Tuesday at 4 p.m. to meet Bloomfield. The Bobcats have a record of 10-1 and have won nine straight games.

Kirtland Central takes pair from Navajo Prep

The Kirtland Central High School baseball team earned a pair of blowout victories on Thursday, sweeping Navajo Prep in a doubleheader at the Farmington Sports Complex.

The Broncos won the opening game by a score of 23-4, then came back to beat the Eagles 21-0 in the nightcap.

The pair of victories snapped a five-game losing streak for Kirtland Central, improving the overall record on the season to 4-7. The losses drop Navajo Prep to 2-8 overall.

Kirtland Central will wrap up the non-district season on Saturday at 11 a.m. at home against Bernalillo before opening the District 1-4A campaign on Tuesday at Shiprock. Navajo Prep has a pair of non-district doubleheaders next week, the first on Tuesday at Rehoboth Christian followed by a road trip to Laguna-Acoma on Thursday.

Softball

Piedra Vista finishes non-district season strong

Piedra Vista High School's softball team earned its straight win on Thursday, beating Bloomfield on the road by a final of 8-2 and heading into the district season as one of the top teams in the state.

The Lady Panthers opened a 6-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth inning before Bloomfield scored its first run. Brookelynne Cadrain and Landry Bales each recorded a pair of RBI's. Cadrain scored three times, going 3 for 4 at the plate with a home run.

Cadrain also did well from the dish, teaming with Ayanna Stevens and Emma Lovato to strike out eight Bloomfield hitters, allowing only two runs on seven hits.

Bloomfield's loss drops the team's record on the season to 6-8 ahead of a pair of games on Saturday against Albuquerque Academy and Silver.

Piedra Vista improves to 14-2 and opens the District 2-5A campaign on Friday afternoon on the road against Eldorado. The Panthers are currently ranked fourth in Class 5A by MaxPreps, behind Centennial, Cleveland and district rival La Cueva.

Kirtland Central snaps five-game losing streak

The Kirtland Central High School softball team got back on the right track, rolling to a 17-0 win Thursday afternoon on the road over Laguna-Acoma.

The win snaps a five-game losing streak and sends the Lady Broncos into the final days of the non-district season with a record of 2-6 as they prepare to host Navajo Prep in a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m.

Kirtland Central will open the District 1-4A campaign on Tuesday at home against Shiprock.