Valencia High School softball downs St. Pius, showing improvement

TOMÉ — It’s probably too early to say the Valencia softball team (9-13, 4-3) has turned the corner after several down years, but last week’s 15-14 victory over St. Pius (11-13, 6-1) was a positive sign and reason to celebrate.

“Exhilarating. Exciting. Hopeful,” is what Jaguars’ junior shortstop Cambria Garley said following the triumph over the perennial district champions.

St. Pius scored five runs to open the game, but VHS answered with four runs in its half of the first, with the Jaguars scoring a single run in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win. That ended a nine-game losing streak to St. Pius.

Garley, who went 5-5 at the plate, said the Sartans seemed stunned.

“From the beginning of the game they thought it was going to be a walk through,” Garley said.

“We came pretty hard at our bats,” said catcher Kourtney Tafoya, one of just three seniors on the VHS roster. “We picked each other up,” when things didn’t go well.

It has been 10 years since Valencia won the state championship, but the Jaguars’ will likely finish with a sixth straight losing season.

However, first-year head coach Jacob Rael sees positive signs.

“They are tilting the scales in the right direction,” said Rael, pointing to improvements in fundamentals.

“They’re staying down on the ball, calling it in the air, keeping the ball in front of them.”

The Jaguars, who hammered Highland 35-2 Tuesday, end the regular season Thursday with a home game against Belen.