Bloomfield stuns Gallup, hands Lady Bengals third straight loss

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP

Bloomfield flipped the script Tuesday evening at Gallup High School softball field.

After being shut out 18-0 in the previous meeting, the Lady Bobcats erupted for eight runs in the opening inning and held off a late Gallup rally for a 17-14 win, handing the Lady Bengals their third straight loss. Bloomfield (8-15, 3-4) jumped out early and never fully surrendered control, despite Gallup (11-10, 5-2) cutting the deficit to three runs in the final inning.

Senior Cassidy Babcock led the Lady Bobcats with seven RBIs on four hits, including a two-run home run. Junior Harley Rightmire added three hits and three RBIs, while four other Bloomfield players drove in runs.

“We came into this game with a plan,” Bloomfield head coach Jose Santistevan said. “We saw their pitching and knew what we needed to do. We had to get out early and get the lead, and they executed.”

Bloomfield’s first inning set the tone. The Lady Bobcats capitalized on early errors and timely hitting to score eight runs in their opening at-bats. Rightmire, Elia Smith-Oliver and Babcock each delivered key hits, while additional runs came off defensive miscues as Bloomfield quickly built an 8-0 lead.

Gallup answered with a run in the bottom of the first on a wild pitch but struggled to slow Bloomfield’s momentum.

Babcock added to the lead in the third inning with a two-run home run to make it 10-1 before Gallup began to respond.

The Lady Bengals strung together hits from Crystal Maruffo, Scottlynn Torres, and Cheyenne Panzy to cut the deficit to 10-5, showing signs of a comeback.

But Bloomfield answered again in the fourth inning. The Lady Bobcats pushed across five runs behind hits from Mariah Romero, Babcock and junior Craygen Lucero to extend the lead to 15-5.

Gallup continued to battle, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fourth to trim the deficit to 15-9. Lanelle Notah delivered a key triple, while a series of Bloomfield errors helped the Lady Bengals stay within reach.

Bloomfield added two more runs in the fifth inning to push the lead to 17-9.

Gallup chipped away again, scoring two runs in the fifth before Torres launched a solo home run in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 17-13.

The Lady Bengals kept the pressure on in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Gallup drew a walk to make it 17-14 with one out. A sacrifice fly appeared to bring home another run, but the runner left early and was called out on appeal, ending the game.

Bloomfield’s ability to respond to each Gallup rally proved to be the difference. Santistevan said the win reflects his team’s persistence through a difficult season.

“We’ve been struggling all season, but we’ve been in games,” he said. “There’s no lead that is ever safe, and today we proved that.”

He added that the win could provide momentum moving forward.

“A win like this should build confidence for the rest of the season,” Santistevan said. “The bus ride home will be a good one.”

Bloomfield will host Aztec (15-4, 7-0) on Thursday evening. Gallup will look to regroup as it travels to face district rival Miyamura (9-14, 2-5) on Friday night.

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