ABQ softball team wins national championship

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque little league team won a national championship, crushing their opponents on national TV.

The Eastdale girl’s softball team is celebrating after becoming World Series champs and so are more than 100 of their fans.

Late Thursday afternoon the team arrived at the Albuquerque Sunport greeted by at least 100 cheering and sign-waving family and friends.

Gov. Susana Martinez has invited the players,coaches and families to a private reception at the governor's mansion in Santa Fe.

”It's awesome and they go to school here and it's just magnificent seeing them play on TV,” one of the team’s classmates, Trisdan Mountain, said.

The fans were watching the game at Desert Ridge Middle School Wednesday night, where half of the team goes to school.

It was an exciting game for these girls and many of their classmates.

”I think they do inspire me because they're very athletic and it shows that girls are actually empowered to do anything and it's not like a sexist sport,” Reese Addison said.

Wednesday night, the principal put up a big screen in the gym so family and friends could watch the game.

The girls from New Mexico took on 17 teams to make it to the World Series in Portland, Oregon.

They have been undefeated and went on to win the championship 16-1 against a team from Florida.

An ESPN announcer said the middle school girls from Albuquerque were playing like college athletes.

"It motivates us…knowing that we can do something like that someday,” one of the team’s classmates, Hanna Brown, said.

The girls are flying back to Albuquerque and are scheduled to arrive at the Sunport at 5:20 p.m. A board member from Eastdale says they are in the process of planning a party for them.

The last time a New Mexico team won a World Series championship was back in 1984 and it was Roadrunner Little League Softball.