ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The 2022-23 high school athletic season officially came to a close on Saturday as champions were crowned in baseball and softball.
Baseball
The 5A championship game featured the top ranked Rio Rancho Rams and 6th seeded Centennial Hawks. LSU commit Steven “Monster” Milam was able to provide a spark for the Hawks early as the team was able to score four runs in the first inning, but the Rams would respond with four of their own. From that point on, Rio Rancho was able to control the pace and come away with a 9-6 win. It is the first state title for the Rams since 2013.
“The thing that makes this team so different is that they really are family away from the field,” said coach Rio Rancho head coach Ron Murphy. “They do a lot of things away from the field and they bond and they pick each other when things go down and you can try to build chemistry all you want on the field, but you cant build it off the field and they have done that themselves.”
For the third consecutive year, the 4A title game featured Albuquerque Academy and St. Pius X. While Academy won the first matchup, the Sartans were able to lift a second consecutive blue trophy thanks to a 7-2 win on Saturday. The win marks the 12th state championship for St. Pius.
“These guys have been down in games and they don’t waiver, they know what they want and at the end of the day they just want to win that game,” Sartans head coach Matt McCoy said.
In class 3A, 10th seeded Ruidoso looked to cap off its Cinderella run against top ranked Sandia Prep. For 6.5 innings, the Warriors looked to have the game on lock as they took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the 7th. The Sundevils then sparked a last minute comeback and were able to send the game into extra innings. In the 9th, it was 8th grader Logan Lemons who provided a walk-off for the Sundevils with a 6-5 victory and the 10th title in school history.
The class 2A championship featured a matchup between Nos. 4 and 7 as Rehoboth and Tularosa played for the blue trophy. The Wildcats were able to complete the upset with a 6-3 win. The championship is the first for Tularosa since 2000.
The Logan Longhorns looked to complete the only undefeated season in the state with a class 1A victory, but the Melrose Buffalos had other plans. Melrose was able to build a 10-run lead going into the final inning, and closed out a 13-7 win. It is the third championship for the Melrose baseball team.
Softball
The Carlsbad Cavegirls came into Saturday just one win away from back-to-back championships, and the only thing in their way was the Piedra Vista Panthers. PV entered the day fresh off a win over top ranked Centennial and hungry to knock off the second seed as well. The Panthers were able to down Carlsbad 3-2 and force a second and final game, but Carlsbad was able to close it out. The Cavegirls finished game two with a 6-0 win and claimed an 18th blue trophy.
Gallup looked to defend its 4A title on Saturday in the championship against Silver, but the Colts came galloping into the Lobo softball field. Silver was able to put an end to the Bengals reign with a 3-2 win and captured the state title for the 13th time.
