Panthers score early, roll to 5A state baseball championship
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
Piedra Vista junior Eliyas Barton rounds third base and sprints to home plate during the 2026 Class 5A State Baseball Championship game against the Cleveland Storms at Lobo Field at UNM on Saturday evening.
By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times
ALBUQUERQUE
Piedra Vista waited 12 years to bring another blue trophy back to Farmington.
Special to the Times | Truman Begaye
The Piedra Vista Panthers baseball team was crowned the 2026 Class 5A State Champions at Lobo Field in Albuquerque after shutting out the Cleveland Storms by a 10-0 count.
On Saturday evening at UNM Lobo Baseball Field, the Panthers made sure there would be little suspense by the end of it. Behind a seven-run explosion in the fifth inning and a complete team effort from top to bottom of the lineup, Piedra Vista overwhelmed Rio Rancho Cleveland High 10-0 in five innings to capture the 2026 Class 5A State Baseball Championship.
Junior shortstop Eliyas Barton, Navajo, sealed the title in fitting fashion. With the mercy-rule victory one out away, Barton fielded a ground ball, briefly bobbled it, then dove onto second base to force out the runner and ignite the celebration as the PV players streamed onto the field.
“It feels so amazing,” Barton said after the win. “This team has been so great all year. I’m so happy for this team and what we have accomplished.”
To read the full article, please see the May 21, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow