Aztec Lady Tigers crush Gallup 18-0, extend
win streak to 11

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP — On Tuesday evening, the red-hot Aztec Tigers rolled into Gallup and delivered a statement win, blanking the Lady Bengals 18-0 in four innings to extend their win streak to 11 straight games, including a perfect 9-0 run through District 1-4A.

Aztec’s leadoff batter senior Alexyn Candelaria set the tone with a double to centerfield, and on the very next at-bat, Cheyenne Yellow, blasted a line drive home run putting the Tigers up 2-0 before Gallup could record an out.

That early explosion was just the beginning of a long evening for the Lady Bengals.

Gallup junior pitcher Morgan Belone struggled to find rhythm against Aztec’s power hitters. Junior Kamora Henry and freshman Cami Lucio followed up with solo homers of their own, padding the lead to 4-0 by the end of the first.

Despite a solid defensive stop to close the inning, the Bengals’ offense couldn’t respond. Aztec’s pitcher, Henry, who pitched a complete game, allowed two hits while striking out six batters.

Henry struck out the side in the bottom of the first with junior Lanelle Notah, sophomore Madison Martinez, and Belone all going down quietly.

Aztec came back in the top of the second and added two more long balls. Candelaria and Yellow each homered again—Candelaria’s second of the game—bringing the lead to 6-0. A pair of walks and an RBI double by Kayci Phillips pushed the lead to 8-0, and Gallup turned to Notah in relief. Even with the change, the Tigers continued to pile on the hits.

By the third, the game had tilted beyond reach. Aztec capitalized on a pair of errors in left field and tacked on three more runs, including a sac-fly RBI by Henry. The score swelled to 11-0.

In the fourth inning, the Tigers delivered the finishing blow. After a groundout, a single and a double set the table for Candelaria’s third extra-base hit—this one a two-run homer to center. Senior Reagan Bradshaw added a two-run shot of her own, bringing the tally to 16-0. Two more RBI doubles from Madeline Kaiser and Christina Whitehorse sealed the 18-0 score line.

Gallup’s only offensive sparks came in the bottom of the fourth. Martinez led off with a double and reached third on a single from senior Mckenzie Notah, but the Lady Bengals couldn’t capitalize. Henry struck out two more, and freshman Quannereeia Ramone’s groundout ended the game.

Aztec (16-10, 9-0 District 1-4A) will host Grants (12-9) on Monday, Apr. 28 to close out the regular season, while Gallup (10-9, 5-2 District 1-4A) will travel to Shiprock (6-14, 1-7 District 1-4A) on Thursday and the will close out the season hosting Miyamura (10-9, 2-5 District 1-4A) on Thursday, May 1 as they look to secure second place in the district standings.

The Lady Tigers’ performance was powered by Candelaria’s monster stat line: 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, and 5 RBIs, while Yellow went 3-for-4 with two homers and a double. Henry pitched a gem with double-digit strikeouts and no walks.

“I was expecting something a little closer, but Aztec wanted the win more,” said Gallup head coach Chris Belone. “We’ve been on a win streak, and I think we were a little overconfident that no one would beat us at home. Aztec has a fantastic pitcher. Last year we won close games off our pitching, but this year we are very young. Aztec is now a complete team with their pitching and now their hitting.”

Regarding the pitching change, Belone added, “Aztec found the timing of the pitches early, so we tried to change it up. It worked for a short while, but they found their batting.”

Aztec head coach Joshua French credited the work his team has been putting in: “We have been working very hard in practice at batting and developed the ability to hit.”

On Kamora Henry’s performance in the circle, he added, “She is a fantastic pitcher. She’s a leader on this team and works very hard to earn every recognition she deserves.”

French also acknowledged Gallup’s legacy: “The last time we beat Gallup was probably 2019. They are a storied program and deserve a lot of respect. Today we wanted to win but hats off to the Gallup program.”

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