Wednesday, May 14, 2008

New double-elimination format set for softball

On an 11-game winning streak, Lady Eagles to see old 3-4A foe

T.S. Last For the News-Bulletin

Belen Riding an 11-game win streak, the Belen Lady Eagles hope a 12-day layoff from competition won't slow them down when they open play Thursday at the Class 4A state high school softball tournament.

The Eagles' strong finish, which earned them their first district title in school history, and a 19-5 overall record won the respect of the NMAA seeding committee as a top-four seed. Belen was awarded the fourth seed and will play its first game against 13th-seeded Deming (11-14) at noon Thursday at the Farmington Softball Complex.

A double-elimination format is being used for the first time this year, so — win or lose — the Eagles will play again at 8 p.m. Their opponent will be either fifth-seeded Aztec or 12th-seeded Los Alamos.

"Thursday will be a huge day for us," said BHS coach Ken Zamora. "The key thing for us is winning those first two games. We need to maintain momentum and get a couple of wins."

Victories on Thursday would also help preserve the arm of Catherine Baca, a senior who has pitched all but a few of the innings for the Eagles the past two seasons.

"She's been the workhorse the last two years. We're going to be riding her arm going into Farmington," Zamora said of Baca, who has posted a 1.18 ERA to go along with 172 strikeouts this season.

A first-round loss would mean a team would have to work its way through the bottom half of the bracket — and win seven games in two days — to claim the state championship. The team that sweeps the winner's bracket could play just two games Friday and one on Saturday to get the job done.

Zamora said two wins Thursday would mean Baca would have more time to rest before the next round, which could well be against top-seeded Piedra Vista. The Panthers eliminated Belen from contention in the quarterfinals last year en route to the state title.

However, the Eagles' focus right now is on Thursday.

Zamora remembers Deming from Belen's District 3-4A days when he was an assistant coach to Peter Gurule in 2005.

"We haven't played them since then, so I don't know much about them," Zamora said.

Though Deming comes in with a losing record, it played a difficult schedule that included nine games against 5A schools.

The Wildcats played most of their schedule in the southern part of the state, and the Eagles haven't gone farther south than Socorro, so the teams have just one common opponent. Deming lost to Albuquerque High, 3-1, while Belen beat the Lady Bulldogs 5-4.

Coached by Cindy Nunez, the Wildcats went 1-8 against 5A schools this season, while Belen was 2-3.

Aztec's resume holds up well against the Eagles. The teams have three common opponents - Academy, St. Pius X and Moriarty. The Tigers (18-8) beat each of them once, while Belen posted a 7-2 record against those 5-4A foes.

Aztec went 2-1 against 5A schools and has a streak of its own, having won five straight headed into Thursday's play.

Belen is more familiar with Los Alamos (14-11), which has won four in a row and eight of the last nine. The Eagles easily scaled the Hilltoppers, 19-1, on March 25.

The Eagles have been to the state tournament the last three years under Zamora.

"We're hoping the past experiences will help. A lot of the girls understand the pressure and everything else that goes with the state tournament," he said.

In addition to Baca, the Eagles have three other seniors playing key roles.

Jasmine Gabaldon winds up an illustrious career as the Eagles shortstop for the past five years. She bats in the third spot in the batting order.

Batting second and playing second base for the second straight year is Amber Jaramillo.

Completing the strong-up-the-middle formula for success is veteran Tomasita Smith, who commands center field.

While the seniors have been the leaders, the otherwise-young team has followed in step.

"Our defense has been very good of late," said the coach. "Our hitting has been pretty good, as well. We've come from behind to win a few games. We've gotten some key hits when we've needed them. We're going to need to keep that up."

Belen has had success in close games this season. The Eagles are 7-2 in one-run games and 9-2 in games decided by two runs or less.

More information about the state softball tournament is available at nmact.org/softball_state_info.

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