Demonettes rally to beat Indian School

S.F. High 2 SFIS 1

The Santa Fe High Demonettes showed the value of just hanging around Wednesday. Trailing Santa Fe Indian School 2-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning of a nondistrict softball game at Santa Fe High, the Demonettes rallied for two runs to squeeze out a 3-2 win. It was a 1-all game heading into the top of the seventh when Arianna Marcotte singled and scored on Caitlyn Cruz’s RBI double to break the tie.

The duo combined to score the Lady Braves’ other run in the third, when Marcotte walked and scored on Cruz’s double for a 1-0 SFIS lead.

But let’s get back to the seventh. Angelica Tapia responded with a bunt hit to lead off the bottom of the frame for the Demonettes (7-9), and Shantel Baca roped a single to put runners on first and second bases. They moved up a base on a passed ball, then Jelly Angel completed the comeback when she hit a deep fly to right-center field that the SFIS center fielder could not glove to score the tying and winning runs.

Randy Montoya, Santa Fe High head coach, said the absence of Ortiz for a couple of innings after she took a line shot off of her right arm in the fourth hurt his team. That’s because reliever Zoe Martinez threw off the Demonettes’ timing with her slower speed.

“That has been our struggle,” Montoya said. “We’re not the best hitters against that type of pitcher We tend to get in front of pitches too often. We’re just so used to the [Class] 6A-type of pitcher that when we see a slower pitcher, we have a hard time striking the ball.”

Alayna Montoya had a solo home run in the sixth to help Santa Fe High tie the score at 1-all.

Santa Fe High resumes District 2-6A play with a doubleheader at home against undefeated Albuquerque La Cueva. SFIS fell to 9-5 on the season.

ESPAÑOLA VALLEY 16, CAPITAL 5 (FIVE INNINGS)

One inning did in the Lady Jaguars in a 2-5A game at Capital.

The Lady Sundevils (7-9 overall, 2-0 2-5A) led 6-4 heading into the fifth inning when they exploded for 10 runs to help force a 10-run mercy rule. Capital didn’t help matters by kicking the ball around and committing five errors in the frame.

“That fifth inning was never-ending,” Lady Jaguars head coach Sig Rivera said. “The majority of our errors were in the fifth. It was like they were trying too hard. And the harder they tried, the more mistakes they made.”

Capital (8-7, 2-1) overcame a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the first, but Española scored three runs in the second for a 5-3 lead. Arianna Almeida led a 13-hit attack with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate with two doubles and two RBIs. Breanna Palmer went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.