The #1 Ranked Lady Tigers Softball Team Advanced to State Finals Saturday at Noon

The class 5A New Mexico State Fastpitch Girls Softball Championship is in full swing with some interesting twists and turns as the Alamogordo girls inch their way to the finals on Saturday. 

An interesting development occurred when it was announced that La Cueva’s coach is to serve a one-game suspension for using an illegal communication device with his catcher. Ron Romero, was suspended for one game by the NMAA after an umpire on Thursday observed him communicating to his catcher with an electronic device to call pitches — something that is legal under NFHS rules for baseball, but not softball.

The umpire saw an AirPod in the La Cueva catcher’s ear in Thursday’s win over No. 7 Mayfield and discovered Romero was calling pitches into her from the dugout via an iPhone.

Romero was ejected under NFHS rules. Under New Mexico Activities Association rules, according Zac Stevenson, the NMAA’s Commissioner of Officials, he also had to “sit out” the next game (Friday morning’s game vs. Centennial) and will have to go through a rules seminar. He did return to coach the team the rest of the day.

At noon Saturday the championship series  Saturday at the UNM Softball field is No. 1 seed Alamogordo and ace pitcher Sydney Lessentine, the Texas A&M signee who had 15 strikeouts, hit a home run and drove in three runs in a 7-4 winners bracket semifinal victory over La Cueva earlier in the day to shore up their hopes for a state title by advancing. 

The path to get their included No. 1 Alamogordo defeating No. 5 Cibola 8-4 at the 5A State Tournament. The Lady Tigers then advanced to play No. 2 La Cueva on Friday.

Stats for the Cibola game are: 

Sydney Lessentine CG, 13K, 8H, 4R

Sydney Lessentine 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI

Khloe Lunar 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, R

Amani Cosom 2-4, 2R, 5 SB

Alyssa Bautista 1-3, 2 RBI

Alexis Rodriguez 1-2, RBI, SB, R

Hailey Evans 1-4 R

Madison Ruiz 1-1

Meyli Herrera 0-3, RBI, R, SB

Addison Chamberlain - SB, 2R

Softball -  No. 1 Alamogordo defeated No. 2 La Cueva 7-4 in the 5A State Tournament.
The Lady Tigers advanced to the 5A State Championship Game on Saturday at 12 PM at the University of New Mexico.

Sydney Lessentine CG, 15K, 7H, BB, HBP
Sydney Lessentine 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Khloe Lunar 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Daviana Gonzalez 1-4, RBI
Meyli Herrera 1-3, 2R, 2 BB
Aislynn Ortiz 1-3, R, HBP
Hailey Evans 0-3, RBI, BB
Amani Cosom 0-4, 2R, 2 SB, BB
Alexis Rodriguez 0-3, BB, R
Alyssa Bautista 0-2, 2 BB

Going into Saturday’s game the Tigers face  Centennial who is now 29-3 with two losses coming in three games played against Lessentine and the Tigers in the regular season and the third loss coming to La Cueva, 10-6, in Friday’s 8 a.m. opener.

Centennial, with their Friday night rematch with La Cueva, Destiny Perez had three hits, an RBI and scored two runs. As a team, the Hawks turned four double plays, powered in large part by the brilliance of Betancourt at shortstop, for a 5-1 win, punching their ticket to the championship series against the Lady Tigers.

Good Luck Lady Tigers! 

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