Mike Powers| News-Bulletin photo
Belen defeated district champion Grants 10-6 Tuesday to give the Pirates their first loss in league action.
As the high school baseball regular season ends this week, Los Lunas looks for a district title, Belen seeks to improve playoff seeding and Valencia wants to make one final statement.
The New Mexico Activities State Championship selection show for both baseball and softball is Sunday afternoon.
Belen Eagles
In a battle of 4A giants, fifth ranked Belen (17-8, 5-2) posted a 10-6 victory over #2 Grants (19-6, 7-1) Tuesday at BHS.
The Eagles used five hits in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead but left the bases loaded against the Pirates, who had already clinched the District 5-4A title.
The game wasn’t decided until Belen scored seven times in the sixth inning to take the lead for good.
Coach Tom Wisneski used five different pitchers, with Angel Garcia getting the victory in relief.
Earlier this season, Grants defeated Belen 7-6 in nine innings.
The Eagles visit Valencia Friday to conclude the regular season.
Belen and Los Lunas took a break from district action, facing off against each other on April 24. LLHS rallied for a 7-6 victory.
The visiting Eagles scored three runs in the first inning, but Los Lunas rallied with three in the fifth and hung on for a 7-6 victory.
Valencia Jaguars
On Tuesday, Valencia (8-16, 1-6) was at Highland (2-19, 1-6) in a District 5-4A battle, losing 5-4 when the Hornets scored twice in the seventh inning.
The Jaguars wrap up the regular season Friday by entertaining Belen.
Los Lunas Tigers
One run could be the difference in preventing the Tigers (15-9, 7-1) from the District 5-5A championship.
Los Lunas took the district lead briefly Saturday at Rio Grande with a 6-2 victory over the Ravens in the opening game of a doubleheader.
Freshman pitcher JJ Utash gave up just five hits to get the complete game victory for the Tigers.
However, in the nightcap, the Ravens (19-5, 7-1) took the district advantage right back in unusual fashion.
Four Rio Grande pitchers combined to no-hit Los Lunas in a 5-1 victory.
Technically, that leaves the two schools sharing the district lead with identical 7-1 records with two games to play.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, which is 1-1.
However, the next tiebreaker is run differential within the district, which favors Rio Grande, 53+ to 50+.
The run differential will likely change on Saturday. LLHS is at Albuquerque High (9-15, 4-4) for two games, while RGHS hosts Santa Fe (3-21, 1-7) in a twin bill.
Based on the records of their opponents, the Ravens seem to have an advantage.
Mike Powers spent more than 40 years as a television news and sports anchor, mostly in the Albuquerque market. He has won numerous awards including New Mexico Sportscaster of the Year. He covers a wide range of sports, including the Valencia County prep scene.
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May 15, 2024
