Lewis powers Lady Braves over Taos

Right field was the place to go for hitters Thursday afternoon.

With the wind howling from the southeast for Santa Fe Indian School’s nondistrict softball doubleheader against Taos at SFIS athletic complex, Lady Braves head coach Oliver Torres told his players which side of the field to focus on against the Lady Tigers.

“I told the girls to let the ball travel in our zone and hit it right field,” Torres said. “It will carry and we can cause all kinds of havoc.”

Leanna Lewis took heed of that advice. She hit for the cycle in Game 1, then added a three-run homer in the second game to help SFIS sweep Taos by 11-1 and 20-13. Both games ended in the fifth inning, although the second game ended because conditions deteriorated because of the wind.

Needing a single in Game 1 to complete the single, double, triple and home run feat, Lewis drilled a two-run single in the fifth to end the game in accordance to the 10-run mercy rule. Lewis opened the next game with a three-run blast that set the tone for the high-scoring affair.

“The thing with Leanna is that she mainly hits triples, doubles [and] home runs,” Torres said. “So I was surprised she hit that single to get the cycle.”

The Lady Braves improved to 15-2 on the season.

BASEBALL ST. MICHAEL’S 15, POJOAQUE VALLEY 0 (FIVE INNINGS)

ST. MICHAEL’S 15, POJOAQUE VALLEY 2 (FIVE INNINGS)

So much for the nine-inning scoreless drought.

The Horsemen hammered Elks pitching for 30 runs in the District 2-4A game in Jacona, and Jonah Baca, Sean Latham and Derek Martinez each hit home runs.

“We hit a lull there in [Game 2], but then the guys started hitting the ball hard again,” St. Michael’s head coach Augustin Ruiz said.

Meanwhile, Sean Latham carried a no-hitter into the fifth before allow a couple of hits to go with eight strikeouts. Jude Mondragon couldn’t quite match his teammate in the nightcap, but he went the distance for bookend complete games.

St. Michael’s (14-9 overall, 7-2 in 2-4A) remains a game back of district leader Las Vegas Robertson.

SANTA FE PREP 11, TIERRA ENCANTADA 6

SANTA FE PREP 10, TIERRA ENCANTADA 6 (SIX INNINGS)

The Blue Griffins ended a six-game losing streak, and picked up a 2/3-3A doubleheader sweep of the Alacranes at the Municipal Recreation Complex.

Victor Rios rolled through five innings in Game 1 before giving away to Hunter Gutierrez, but poor fielding helped Tierra Encantada score five runs before Rios returned to the bump to finish the game.

In Game 2, Prep (5-12, 3-6) rallied from a fiverun deficit to tie the score at 6-all heading into the sixth. The Blue Griffins exploded for four runs in the sixth to settle the affair. Umpires called the game after the sixth because of the windy conditions.

“We came out to play,” Prep head coach Frank Lucero said. “It was a great morale booster.”