West, Robertson earn bids in the state softball tournament

Las Vegas will be well represented in the Class 3A state softball tournament, set to begin this week. West Las Vegas, the defending state champions, have earned the No. 3 seed and a bye to the quarterfinals, while Robertson earned the No. 5 seed and will take on No. 12 seed Wingate in the first round. 

West Las Vegas entered the season as one of the favorites to bring home the blue trophy, and for the most part they delivered on their potential. They finished the season 21-4, unstoppable for most of the year. They finished the season on a ten-game winning streak, including multiple wins against teams that will also be competing in the state tournament. 

Freshman Malie Satete, who set the single season state home run record as an eighth grader a year ago, proved to be just as impactful in her encore performance, blasting 17 home runs and winning 13 games in the pitcher’s circle. 

But many times, teams attempted to remove her from the equation offensively and force her teammates to beat them. And most of the time, they did. Senior Alexis Pacheco backed her up consistently, hitting over .500 for the season and hitting five home runs. Junior Tyra Horner also hit five home runs, and she was second on the team with seven doubles. 

The Lady Dons will face the winner of a matchup between No. 6 seed Navajo Prep and No. 11 seed Hatch Valley in the quarterfinals, with a matchup against No. 2 seed Cobre potentially waiting in the semifinals. 

On the other side of the bracket are the Robertson Lady Cardinals, the tournament’s No. 5 seed. Robertson finished 11-13 overall, and were 4-5 in a tough district. Though they struggled to find their footing early in the season, the Lady Cardinals became more consistent as the season progressed, winning four of their final five games during the last week of the regular season. 

Their best player throughout the season was senior pitcher Araina Sanchez, who struck out an astounding 195 batters in 126 innings inside the pitcher’s circle. Her ability to keep teams off the scoreboard aided her struggling offense, which hit .217 as a team. Senior Amor Allen was the team;s leader offensively, picking up 20 hits and leading the team with four home runs. Fellow senior Kylee Griego was also a standout, hitting .357 for the season. 

The Lady Cardinals will take on No. 12 seed Wingate in the first round. Wingate went 11-7 overall this season, though they finished the season losing four of their final five games. 

The winner of this first round matchup will advance to take on No. 4 seed St. Michael’s in the quarterfinals. 

From the quarterfinals forward, the tournament becomes a double elimination format, with the winners advancing in the championship bracket and the losers moving down to the consolation bracket, with a chance of winning their way back into contention. The quarterfinals will be held on May 14, with the tournament concluding in Albuquerque on May 16.