Lady Lynx advances past Eunice, 9–4, in opening round of Class A/2A playoffs

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP

Rehoboth Christian (18-9) punched their ticket to the second round of the New Mexico Class A/2A state softball playoffs with a 9–4 victory over Eunice (14-13) on Wednesday evening at Ford Canyon Park.

The Lady Lynx relied on a complete game effort from freshman pitcher Deiyanera Franklin and a mid-game offensive surge to pull away from the Cardinals, who made the seven-hour trek from the New Mexico-Texas border for two games. Earlier in the day, Eunice had beaten Laguna Acoma 18–7 in a play-in game to face fourth-seeded Rehoboth.

Rehoboth’s infield tandem — sophomores third baseman Shanoah Eddie and first baseman Dominique Delariva — powered the offense with three hits and two RBIs each, while four other players contributed runs in a balanced attack. Franklin went the distance, throwing 88 pitches over seven innings while allowing 11 hits but limiting Eunice to four runs, including a single run in their final at-bat.

Eunice struck first, jumping ahead 1–0 in the top of the first on a triple by junior Peyton Williams that drove in sophomore Halley Jones. Rehoboth answered immediately with freshman Sage West drawing a walk, stealing second and third, and stealing home to tie the game 1–1.

The Cardinals added two runs in the second to regain the lead, 3–1. But Rehoboth’s bats came alive in the third. Eddie singled and scored on a Delariva RBI single, then Delariva crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk. Senior centerfielder Megan Livingston followed with a clutch RBI single to bring home freshman Kayelynn Spencer, giving Rehoboth its first lead at 4–3.

From there, Franklin and the Lady Lynx defense clamped down. They held Eunice scoreless in four of the final five innings, and Rehoboth padded the lead 5-3 with a run in the fifth on a Spencer groundout that brought in Delariva.

The knockout blow came in the sixth inning. Eighth grader Leigh House and Franklin opened the frame with back-to-back singles. Eddie then roped a double to centerfield to score both runners. Delariva followed with a triple to drive in Eddie, and two batters later, sophomore Ashley Livingston singled in Delariva, capping a four-run rally to make it 9–3.

Eunice managed one last push in the seventh. After a walk and single put two runners on, senior Mckayla Pierce hit a ball to right field, allowing freshman Cheyenne Blevins to tag and score. But the rally was short-lived. A flyout to left and a groundout to West at shortstop sealed the win for the Lady Lynx.

“We played them earlier in the season and beat them in extras,” said Eunice head coach Kyle Kimple. “I thought it would be close again, but our batting has been hit or miss lately.”

Rehoboth head coach Crystal Pablo was proud of the team’s response after trailing early.

“We had to start hitting the ball early, and I knew one of the players would be a spark to get us going,” Pablo said. Looking ahead to their next opponent, she added, “We’re going to have to swing sooner since Estancia has a fastball pitcher. Today we adjusted by making contact instead of swinging for the fences—and that made the difference.”

Rehoboth will face Estancia in the second round on May 14 at Los Altos Softball Complex Field 1 in Albuquerque. The tournament shifts into a double-elimination format, guaranteeing the Lady Lynx at least two more games as they continue their postseason run.

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