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Thursday, April 3, 2008

T'Wolves Edge Bears in 'Dogfight'

By Harold Smith
Mountain View Telegraph
    You've got to be kidding.
    A combined 36 runs, 40 hits, 17 errors and 11 stolen bases made for a barnburner of a high school softball game on April Fool's Day at Estancia High's field.
    In the end, East Mountain managed to beat the host Lady Bears 19-17 in the District 2/1A-2A contest. The Lady Timberwolves remain undefeated with a record of 5-0, 2-0, while EHS fell to 3-8, 0-1.
    "I think it was an outstanding game ... with a lot of fighting spirit on both sides," EMHS coach Denise Whipple said. "We did have some critical errors with fielding, but we were able to recoup and pull out the win."
    Aubrie Roots, East Mountain's No. 1 pitcher last season, was relegated to an auxiliary status during her team's first four games of 2008 following the arrival of Moriarty High transfer Rachel Sanderson. But Sanderson, who could be back in the fray by April 10, was hurt, and Roots stepped into the starting role versus Estancia.
    Roots got the win. She struck out five, walked four, hit three batsman and gave up 17 hits, including three doubles.
    The 5-foot-41/2 junior, who throws right and bats left, went the distance and helped herself with a 5-for-5 hitting performance. She scored four runs, earned an RBI and stole three bases.
    The victory against the rival Bears was important to Roots and her teammates.
    "I'm shocked," Roots said. "I was in tears actually. I think we're about the same skill level (with the EHS players). But we worked hard. We wanted it so badly."
    Estancia's Sasha Corral tied the score at 15 in the bottom of the fifth inning on a base hit via a fly ball to short right field. The hit brought Alicia Ortega home.
    But East Mountain scored four runs in the seventh inning to regain the lead. T'Wolf Destini Whipple smacked a two-run triple— the ball rolled all the way to the fence in left field— during the inning.
    Bear Heather Chavez's single to right field in the bottom of the final inning resulted in an error-aided inside-the-park home run to close the gap to 19-17. But the Timberwolves held Estancia off for the win.
    "I knew it was going to be a dogfight," Bears coach Michael Dominguez said. "We're getting better. They didn't quit like they usually do."
    Estancia also competed in the Dexter tournament. The Bears took seventh with an 11-7 win over Eunice on Saturday after falling 12-3 to Jal on March 27 and 21-17 to Tucumcari on Friday.
   
Moriarty
    The Lady Pintos kicked off their District 5-4A schedule with a decisive 9-0 victory at Albuquerque Academy on Tuesday.
    Seniors led the way at the plate. Jennifer Inocencio and Sonya Chavez smacked solo home runs, and Kathleen Nixon was 2-for-4 with a double.
    Morgan McWilliams was the winning pitcher.
    "They're looking good," said Moriarty coach Brett McWilliams. "We're getting there. The weakest part of our game was our defense. But (Tuesday), we played good defense. We were pretty solid.
    The Pintos improved to 6-4, 1-0.
    Moriarty will travel to Grants for a district doubleheader on Saturday. The Pintos will then host Belen on Tuesday.
    "Belen will probably be our biggest challenge," Brett McWilliams said. "But we'll never underestimate St. Pius."
   
Manzano
    The Monarchs (3-11, 1-0) dominated Highland 18-0 in a District 5-5A road game on Tuesday.
    Evangeline Samora was the winning pitcher. Ashley Sanchez was 3-for-4 with three home runs, and Amity Livingston hit two homers.
    Cassandra Jaramillo was 2-for-4 with a run. Brenda Hearn, who missed the first 13 games due to a hand ailment, got a hit in her first game.
    Hearn and Jaramillo are from the Sedillo Hill area. Chilili's Andrea Quintero also plays for Manzano.
    "It's not about the win," said Manzano coach Arthur Samora after noting his team's shaky start. "It's about the process. Are we getting better?"
    The coach, when asked, acknowledged that junior Whitney Polosky, a southpaw pitcher from Tijeras, did not come out for the team this season.