Gallup sends off seniors with second state crown

ALBUQUERQUE – It took two games for the Gallup softball team to clinch its second state title in three years.

The top-seeded Lady Bengals (24-6) were forced to play an “if game” as fifth-seeded Artesia rode into Saturday’s championship matches with some momentum.

The Lady Bulldogs (24-9) won three tough matches on Friday to reach the Class 4A title game at the UNM Lobo Softball Field in Albuquerque.

Behind some great pitching from both squads, Artesia snuck past Gallup, 1-0, in the first match to set up winner-take-all contest Saturday afternoon in the double-elimination tournament.

Artesia’s Kayden Apodaca, who went 2-for-3, blasted a solo home run in centerfield in the second inning to score the games’ only run in the opening contest.

But in Game 2, the Bengals opened up a 4-0 lead and never looked back as Gallup defeated Artesia, 7-1, to claim its latest state crown.

“This is great,” said Gallup second baseman Brenna Becenti, who is one of 11 seniors on the team.

“With it being our last year we’ve been embracing every single moment, especially this state tournament run,” Becenti said. “We prepared for this, and this is what we’re trained to do. Our mindset throughout the entire season was to become state champions again.”

Of the 11 veterans, Becenti and Gallup ace SJ Haines have been on the varsity program since they were eighth graders. The rest of the seniors joined the team as freshmen and sophomores as most of that group played in four consecutive 4A state title games.

“It means a lot,” Gallup coach William Haines said of winning the school’s second state crown. “It just shows how much hard work these girls put into this season. It’s all about the players. They’re the ones that put in the work and they’re the ones that make the plays.”

In the opening game, Gallup had a chance to score as it loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh frame with one out. SJ Haines, the coach’s daughter, was issued a walk, which was followed by back-to-back singles from Becenti and senior Jazmine Marrufo.

Artesia, however, ended that threat as the Bulldogs turned a double play. Centerfielder McKenna Morrison caught a sacrifice fly, and she then made a clean throw to catcher Perseis Aguila, who tagged out courtesy runner Crystal Marrufo for the final out.

“I sent her and that was on me,” William Haines said. “If we held her, we would have probably brought in two runners in with the next batter.”

In the second contest, Gallup was gifted a couple of runs in the first and second frames. Singles by SJ Haines and Jazmine Marrufo put two runners on as Gallup took advantage of two Artesia errors to go up 2-0.

In the next frame, senior Stephanesha Charlie led the inning with a walk and two batters later SJ Haines nailed a double in left field.

Artesia got Becenti to flyout for its second out. But on the very next play, the Bulldogs misplayed the ball as Gallup opened up a 4-0 cushion.

“We just tried to put the ball in play,” the Gallup coach said. “We had to be smart with our hits; we took swings at strikes, and we left the balls alone. In the first game we were swinging at balls, and we were getting weak grounders from that.”

Artesia got on board in the top of the third when leadoff hitter Elizabeth De La Riva, who singled, scored on a Gallup error.

Nonetheless, the Bengals got that run back as they loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth with no outs. An RBI groundout by Mackenzie Notah scored the leadoff hitter before Artesia settled down the next two batters.

In the sixth, back-to-back errors by Artesia put two Gallup runners on as an RBI-double from Morgan Belone scored the Bengals’ final two runs.

SJ Haines led Gallup with three hits while Belone added two as the Bengals scattered seven hits on the Bulldogs. Artesia starting pitcher Kayden Apodaca was tagged with the loss as she surrendered five runs (one earned) on five hits while fanning five batters and walking three.

“We made some adjustments,” Belone said. “We adjusted by taking a step back in the box and knowing that we’ve hit on this pitcher before. We kind of knew how she was going to throw, and what she was going to throw.”

“Nothing can go wrong when you put your bat out there,” SJ Haines added. “We just put the ball in play and when we did that it put the pressure on them.”

Besides her hitting, Haines came up big inside the circle. The Gallup ace went the distance and gave up one earned run on seven hits while fanning four batters and walking one.

“It starts with pitching,” William Haines said. “It’s always going to be a pitcher’s game. Pitchers have to hit their spots, and they got to make the right pitch at the right time so that our defense can make those plays. The defense had to back up SJ, and that is what we did today.”

Despite graduating a senior-laden group, which played in four state title games, the Gallup coach believes the next group of players will be able to contend for the program’s third state crown.

“It should look good,” William Haines said. “We have some younger girls coming up, but it’s all on them. If they want to put in the work during the offseason, they can keep this going.

“They got to put in the work,” he added. “If they put in the work, we’ll be here next year playing in another state championship game.”

Like her dad, SJ Haines believes the younger group can carry on the tradition.

“The underclassmen are amazing,” she said. “They’re going to work hard, and they’re going to get after it. I know they want to get that blue trophy.”

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