‘Fishing at it’: Artesia silences Gallup’s bats

ALBUQUERQUE

The Gallup softball team will have to wait another year to claim the school’s first state title in that sport.

In their first appearance in a state championship game, the top-seeded Lady Bengals dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 2 Artesia on Saturday in the 4A title game at the University of New Mexico Softball Complex in Albuquerque.

“We’re going to be back and we’re going to be ready,” Gallup coach Rayfert Spencer said while adding that his program has strong desires to bring home a blue trophy.

“We’re going to continue to finish that goal,” he said. “That goal is always going to be there and we’re always going to fight for that.”

In Saturday’s title game, the speed and consistency of Artesia pitcher RyLee Crandall silenced Gallup’s bats as the junior ace gave up one hit, a single by outfielder Taylor Morgan in top of the seventh.

“That’s why she’s Gatorade Player of the Year,” Spencer said. “She’s an awesome pitcher. She kept us off balance through the whole game. We just couldn’t get on base.”

At times, Spencer said, his players were “fishing at it” when Crandall threw her change up.

“We tried to adjust,” he said. “She just kept us off balance.”

With the speed and consistency that Gallup hasn’t seen for much of the season, the Artesia ace faced only 23 batters, which was two over the minimum. With that she served up 13 strikeouts, walked one in a one-hit game.

“She threw a lot of strikes,” second baseman Katherine Lincoln said. “She’s probably the most consistent strikeout pitcher we’ve seen throughout the season. We had a hard time adjusting.”

“She threw a lot of outside pitches,” right outfielder Chaylee Becenti added. “She also had a rise ball and it was hard to make contact. She did a really good job because our timing was off.”

Artesia scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth as the first four innings featured a pitcher’s duel between Crandall and Gallup freshman Seniah Haines.

The two pitchers combined for 14 K’s early in the contest as Crandall registered eight and Haines had six after four scoreless innings.

But in the fifth, the Bulldogs scattered five hits on the Gallup pitcher, including a bloop hit by senior Vianka Baeza that went over the head of second baseman Katherine Lincoln.

That hit advanced leadoff batter Mikenzi Carlo, who got on base with walk.

“We knew she was going to bunt,” Spencer said of Baeza. “We tried to keep an eye on a high pop up and she just pushed the ball.”

Spencer said they had a chance to retire Baeza, but when she extended her bat for a bunt they were already in their movements as the ball dropped behind Lincoln.

“It was a situational play and they did a great job of executing that,” Spencer said of the Bulldogs.

With two runners on, Artesia then went to the top of its lineup with Crandall, the leadoff hitter, cranking out an RBI double in right field to score Carlo.

Senior outfielder Presley Skinner kept the rally going with another double as she cleared the bases as her hit bounced off the warning track.

Two batters later, catcher Perseis Aguilar belted a double to score Crandall as Artesia took a commanding 4-0 lead.

“Our pitcher kept them down except that one inning,” Spencer said of Haines, who allowed four runs on five hits while striking out nine batters.

With runners on, the Gallup coach said Artesia was able to dictate the flow of the game as the Bulldogs threw in some bunts to advance their runners.

“They made some key hits,” Spencer said. “They put the ball in play and they did what they needed to do.”

On the flip side, the Gallup coach said he didn’t get a chance to devise plays to advance runners.

“We just needed to get on base and do the same thing they did,” he said. “And when you’re all quiet at third base that means we’re not doing what we need to do.

“I have to give it to them,” he added. “They took away our game.”

With a second-place finish, Spencer said his team is going to be even hungrier next season as his team is slated to compete against some college teams in the NAIA and JUCO ranks during the offseason.

“We’re going to be back,” he said. “I know we will. The players that we have just has that desire. We’re going to keep working and the coaches are going to keep pushing them and, you know, they have that desire to get that blue trophy. Whatever it takes, we’re gonna keep pushing them.”

Becenti said the team is really motivated to get back to the championship game next spring.

“This was a totally mind-blowing experience,” she said. “I mean we’re the first Gallup team to make the championship game and we were ranked No. 1 in the state.

“We did an amazing job and coming from Gallup we let ourselves be known but we still have that guilt of not playing our game,” she said. “We have that sadness in us and we have that regret but after losing this game it’s going to motivate us to come back strong next year.”

Gallup finished the year at 20-3 overall, as they will lose four players who graduated. Nonetheless, Spencer returns 11 lettermen next season.

“I just want to thank our seniors,” he said. “They did a great job; they built the foundation for us. It’s just great to be apart of this program. It’s on the rise.”

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