Cibola, La Cueva to collide for metro softball crown
Mar. 21—The top two seeds at the Albuquerque Metro Softball Championships both started quickly on Friday. As a result, they'll close the tournament against one another on Saturday.
No. 1 seed Cibola had a six-run first-inning outburst in its semifinal victory over Sandia, and No. 2 La Cueva put up five first-inning runs on Rio Rancho later in the day, as the final for the 2025 event was set.
The Cougars (10-0) and Bears (7-3) will meet at noon Saturday at Cibola.
No. 2 LA CUEVA 14, No. 3 RIO RANCHO 0 (4 1/2 inn.): The Bears continue to play long ball in this tournament. After five bombs on Thursday in the quarterfinals against Atrisco Heritage, La Cueva went deep three more times Friday afternoon as the Bears overpowered the Rams.
One of the three homers Friday came from starting pitcher Lili Montoya, who crushed a three-run home run to center in the bottom of the first.
"That felt good," Montoya said. "It was a good way to get the momentum going."
MaceRae Santistevan added an RBI single, and Elizabeth Hoggan lifted a sacrifice fly for a early five spot.
That would prove to be all the offense Montoya would need in the circle, where she held Rio Rancho (5-4) to just two hits — one of them a fluke bloop double on the infield — and struck out eight.
The Rams had scored 20 runs the previous day versus Volcano Vista.
"The approach was just to do what I do," Montoya, a senior, said. "Those are all great players, I know they all have great swings ... but (I had) that trust in myself and confidence in myself that I could get through everybody. I always feel like I'm top dog in the circle."
In the second inning, Genesis Jaramillo hit the first pitch opposite field for a solo home run to right, and Lainey Alcaraz clubbed a two-run homer to center for an 8-0 lead. La Cueva tacked on five more runs in the third, keyed by a two-RBI single from Brooklyn Eardley.
Moving on to Cibola, the Cougars won at La Cueva 7-5 on the first day of March.
"We're very excited," Jaramillo said. "It's a bit of a personal game and we're ready to bring it."
No. 1 CIBOLA 10, No. 5 SANDIA 4: In the opening semi, the Cougars gave starting pitcher Gaby Moncada all she would need right out of the box, with a lengthy first inning outburst.
"I'm glad to have these group of girls," Moncada said.
Ava Benavidez's two-RBI double to center scored a pair of runs near the end of the rally; earlier, Moncada had an RBI double and Presley Peek-Ruscetti delivered an RBI single.
Sandia's defense was not tight, either, and the Matadors (4-4) had multiple errors that led to multiple runs before the first inning was over.
Sandia did make it interesting with three runs in the fifth to trail 7-4, but Cibola put the Matadors away with three in the bottom of the sixth, when Angelica Medina scored a pair of runs on a triple.
Moncada gave up four hits in her complete game, just one earned run, and struck out 10.
"She definitely was fresh," Cibola coach LaRae Melvin said. "She had about a week off (before Thursday), and she was ready to attack. She does well with hitting the zone that is called for her."
Topics
-
Two upsets in metro baseball, softball quarterfinals
Mar. 20—Cibola's baseball team and Sandia's softball team were upset winners Thursday as the Albuquerque Metro Championships played out its quarterfinal round in both sports. In baseball, No. 1 La ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Sandia shakes loose of La Cueva, heads back to 5A final
Mar. 13—La Cueva overcame one sluggish start. The Bears could not handle another one in the same game. Sandia, as it has done several times to La Cueva this season, opened the game with a huge run. ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
ESPN's Joe Lunardi indicates Tennessee basketball unlikely to be a No. 1 seed
Tennessee is unlikely to be a No. 1 seed regardless of its result against Auburn on Saturday in the SEC Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.Yahoo Sports - 6d -
Texas softball: No. 2 Longhorns excited to open SEC play against No. 3 Florida
Texas softball is 24-1, one of the best starts in program history, behind slugger Reese Atwood and pitching ace Teagan Kavan.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 14 -
New Mexico tops Marquette to advance in NCAA Tournament
Mar. 21—CLEVELAND — New Mexico surged into the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 75-66 upset victory over Marquette on Friday. The 10th-seeded Lobos finished the game on a 22-11 run ...Yahoo Sports - 7h -
College basketball rankings: Auburn puts stamp on No. 1 overall seed with win over Ole Miss in SEC Tournament
The Tigers continue to leave no doubt they'll be entering the tournament atop the seeding listCBS Sports - 6d -
Alabama gets No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament
Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate (10) and Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) celebrate overtime win against Auburn at Neville Arena in Auburn, AL on Saturday, Mar 8, 2025. | Photo: Alabama Athletics ...Yahoo Sports - 5d -
UCLA and South Carolina headline AP Top 25 women's poll and are top seeds in NCAA Tournament
UCLA remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women's basketball Top 25 on Monday one day after the Bruins earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. ...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Coles scores 22, second-seeded Grand Canyon beats No. 3-seed Cal Baptist 75-66 in WAC semifinal
JaKobe Coles had 22 points in Grand Canyon's 75-66 win against Cal Baptist on Friday in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. The No 2-seeded Antelopes will face top-seeded Utah ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Michigan State women's basketball vs Harvard prediction: Who has March Madness advantage?
Michigan State women's basketball opens their first game of the NCAA tournament against the Harvard Crimson in the teams' first ever matchup.Yahoo Sports - 9m -
Rick Pitino scandal: Why former Louisville coach forfeited title, left Cardinals program
Rick Pitino was fired at Louisville amid a scandal involving recruits. Here's a look back at what transpired to end his tenure with the Cardinals:Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Detroit Lions' Avonte Maddox nearly went pro in MLB: 'Dream was ... the World Series'
Avonte Maddox said at the Super Bowl in February he always rooted for the Detroit Lions, even while playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
On this day: former Celtics Don Chaney, Ed Macauley, Brian Shaw born
On this day, a trio of former Boston Celtics were born - Don Chaney, Ed Macauley, and Brian Shaw.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
8 free agent wide receivers still available for Broncos
Should the Broncos add a veteran to the WR room?Yahoo Sports - 13m
More in Sports
-
Michigan State women's basketball vs Harvard prediction: Who has March Madness advantage?
Michigan State women's basketball opens their first game of the NCAA tournament against the Harvard Crimson in the teams' first ever matchup.Yahoo Sports - 9m -
Rick Pitino scandal: Why former Louisville coach forfeited title, left Cardinals program
Rick Pitino was fired at Louisville amid a scandal involving recruits. Here's a look back at what transpired to end his tenure with the Cardinals:Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Detroit Lions' Avonte Maddox nearly went pro in MLB: 'Dream was ... the World Series'
Avonte Maddox said at the Super Bowl in February he always rooted for the Detroit Lions, even while playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.Yahoo Sports - 11m -
On this day: former Celtics Don Chaney, Ed Macauley, Brian Shaw born
On this day, a trio of former Boston Celtics were born - Don Chaney, Ed Macauley, and Brian Shaw.Yahoo Sports - 12m -
8 free agent wide receivers still available for Broncos
Should the Broncos add a veteran to the WR room?Yahoo Sports - 13m