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By Nolberto Waddell
The Hayden Lady Lobo softball team made a good stride toward a spot in the state softball tournament with two wins this past week defeating the Lady Vandals of Miami with a come-from-behind win and defeated the Lady Tigers of Globe with a 10-run rule shortened game.
The Lady Lobos traveled to Miami High School on Tuesday, April 17, to face a team that for the past several seasons have held a hex over them when playing on the Vandal home field and for five innings it looked like the hex might continue.
After going down in order in the top of the first inning, the Vandal team put three runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first taking advantage of three walks, a throwing error and a two RBI double. The Lady Lobos cut into the Vandal lead in the top of the second scoring two runs on a hit batter and two costly errors by the Vandal defense. The Vandals made the score 2 to 4 in the bottom of the third scoring on an error followed by two wild pitches and finally scored on a groundout. In the top of the fourth, the Lady Lobos, after one out, loaded the bases with a double by Chiquete and two walks but the Lobos could not bring them around to score when two strikeouts ended the threat.
The Vandals came alive in the bottom of the fourth scoring four runs on three hits and took advantage of three Lobo errors to take what seemed like a safe, 2 to 8, lead going into the fifth inning.
The Lady Lobos started to fight back in the fifth inning scoring two runs on three hits and a throwing error to narrow the Vandal lead to 4 to 8. The Vandals went down in order in the fifth. The Lobo offense finally came alive in the top of the sixth inning taking advantage of three Vandal errors, a walk and a hit batter along with two timely hits by Boltarez and Chiquita to take a 10 to 8 lead at the end of six innings of play. The Vandals took advantage of a walk and an error to score a run in the bottom of the sixth to narrow the Lobo lead to 10 to 9.
The Lady Lobos continued to take advantage of the Vandals bad fielding in the seventh inning. After two quick outs on two pitches, Boltarez reached base with an infield hit, went to second when Alexis Felix was walked and both scored when Estrada’s hard grounder to second was mishandled. Estrada scored the third run of the inning on an error on Kyana Garcia’s grounder to the shortstop to give the Lobos a 13 to 9 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
The Vandals made it exciting in the seventh after two outs getting runners to third and second with two walks and a wild pitch but there is where they stayed as Boltarez buckled down and got the third out when the batter looked at the third strike.
With a big sigh of relief, the Lady Lobos claimed a hard fought 13 to 9 win over the Vandals. Demitria Boltarez took the pitching win giving up the nine runs on only four hits but the seven errors hurt. She struck out 10 but walked eight Vandals and had three costly wild pitches. Only three Lobos managed hits off the Vandal pitcher with Boltarez getting three singles and scored three runs in five at bats. Alexis Felix had a single in four at bats and Stephanie Chiquete was a homerun short of a cycle getting a single, a double and a triple for two RBI in five at bats.
The Globe Lady Tigers were on the Lobo diamond for a game on Friday, April 20, not putting up much of a fight in the 10-run rule shortened game. The Tigers got to Lobo pitching starter Marlisse Perez in the top of the first for two runs on two hits, a throwing error and a run scoring double but it would be the only threat they would put up in the game. The Lobos came roaring back in the bottom of the first scoring nine runs on five hits, four walks and three fielding errors for a 9 to 2 lead.
The Tigers never challenged again going scoreless the rest of the game as Perez and Boltarez, who came into the pitching circle in the top of the fourth, held the Tiger batters in check. The Lobos added four runs in the second on back-to-back triples by Chiquete and Perez, an RBI single by Stephanie Encinas and an RBI double by Alexis Felix for a 13 to 2 lead after two innings of play. The Lobos added a single run in the bottom of the third on an inside-the-park homerun by Stephanie Chiquete for the final 14 to 2 score.
Marlisse Perez got the pitching win going three innings giving up the two runs on three hits, struck out three and walked none. Demitria Boltarez pitched the final two innings holding the Tigers scoreless, striking out five of the seven batters she faced and walking one Tiger batter. Seven of the nine starters for the Lobos got a hit with Marlisse Perez going three for three with two singles and a triple for three RBI. Boltarez had two singles, scored two runs and had an RBI in four at bats. Alexis Felix had a single and a double, scored two runs and had two RBI in three trips to the plate. Stephanie Chiquete had the big blasts of the game getting a triple and an inside-the park homerun in four at bats. Devon Estrada, Kyana Garcia and Stephanie Encinas each had a single in the game.
Before the game, the Lobo coaches and team paid tribute to the four graduating senior Lady Lobos playing their last game on their home field. Wearing the Blue and White for the last time on the Lobo diamond were Mary Lechuga, Yvonnah Gonzales, Stephanie Chiquete and Demitria Boltarez along with Lobo managers Chantel Arbizo and Yusi Casado. Good luck to the young ladies in their final game in Lobo Blue and White when they take on the Lady Bearcats on the Ray field this Tuesday and good luck to the young ladies in their future plans following their graduation.
The Lady Lobos will have played their final game of the schedule when this article appears taking on the Ray Lady Bearcats on the Bearcat field and following the last game will wait for the final power point standings hoping to qualify for the state softball tournament that is scheduled to start on May 2.
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