Lady Cats split in Cruces tournament

LAS CRUCES — Clovis ended a two-game scoring drought by pushing across a pair of runs in the fourth inning, grabbing a 2-1 win over Rio Grande Saturday in the Southern New Mexico Invitational and earning a split of four games in the tournament.

Earlier in the day, Clovis (7-3) fell to District 4-5A foe Carlsbad 7-0. That was also the score of the Lady Cats’ loss on Friday to Las Cruces High in the second round of the tournament.

The Lady Cats won their first game on Friday, beating Silver 7-2. But, in the next two contests, Clovis only had a collective four hits.

“That game (against Silver) was a good one,” Clovis coach Larry Trower said. “But against Cruces and Carlsbad, we were terrible at the plate. There wasn’t overpowering pitching or anything — we just didn’t hit the stinking ball.”

Trower may have been even more unhappy had the trend continued in the finale against the Ravens. For a time, it certainly seemed it would.

Though Clovis got three hits in the first inning against Rio Grande, Lady Cats runners were cut down trying to take third and home during the frame.

Rio Grande, meanwhile, scored in the third after a baserunner was caught between third base and home, but a Clovis fielder’s throw soared high into the outfield.

“That was lucky,” said Clovis pitcher Annie Tweedy of the sequence. “I think our team came together real well, though. We didn’t have a good game the night before against Las Cruces and, this morning, we had a tough time with Carlsbad.”

In the fourth inning, Alicia Odom’s single to right was followed by a walk to Sara Salguero before RBI singles by Christina Chavez and Valerie Morris gave Clovis the lead.

For the rest of the contest, Tweedy’s pitching kept the Ravens at bay.

“She did a good job,” said Trower, adding that Paige Adare — who pitched for Clovis in the first three games of the tournament — also was solid. “Our problems with pitching and defense weren’t too bad. But offensively, we were just terrible.”

Clovis’ lone selection to the all-tournament team was junior leadoff hitter Nicole Marez.

When the Lady Cats’ offense dried up, Marez was nearly the squad’s lone threat at the plate. Of the four hits against Las Cruces High and Carlsbad, Marez had three.

“We did real good this game,” said Marez after the win over the Ravens. “I didn’t think it would continue, because we came out wanting to play this game. The last couple of games, we sort of had our heads down.”

Friday

First round

Clovis 7, Silver 2

Clovis 102 004 — 7 6 1

Silver 200 000 — 2 6 4

Paige Adare and Alicia Odom; Pam Murrillo and Tracey Fortenberry. W — Adare (5-1). L — Murrillo. Leading hitters — Clovis, Sara Salguero 2-3, RBI; Odom 2-4, 2 RBI; Laura Wood 1-4, run. Silver, Fortenberry 3-3, three doubles, RBI; Caitlyn Foy 2-3, RBI.

Championship quarterfinals

Las Cruces 7, Clovis 0

Las Cruces 030 112 — 7 9 3

Clovis 000 000 — 0 1 2

Brittany Zamora and Felicia Parra; Adare and Odom. W — Zamora. L — Adare (5-2). Leading hitters — Las Cruces, Erikah Chavarria 2-3, 2 runs; Liz Rocha 2-3, double, run. Clovis, Nicole Marez 1-3.

Saturday

Consolation semifinals

Carlsbad 7, Clovis 0

Carlsbad 004 120 0 — 7 13 4

Clovis 000 000 0 — 0 3 4

Meagan Navarette and Tiana Rodriguez; Adare and Odom. W — Navarette. L — Adare (5-3). Leading hitters — Carlsbad, Carolyn Smith 3-4; Brittany Kent 2-4, two doubles; Jeanell Fragua 2-4, 2 runs. Clovis, Marez 2-3, Wood 1-3.

Seventh place

Clovis 2, Rio Grande 1

Rio Grande 001 000 — 1 4 1

Clovis 000 200 — 2 7 0

Erin Meyer and Liz Garcia; Annie Tweedy and Alicia Odom. W — Tweedy (2-0). L — Meyer. Leading hitters — Rio Grande, Natalie Jaramillo 1-2; Terri Johnson 1-2; Meyer 1-2. Clovis, Tweedy 2-3, double; Odom 2-2, run, walk, Christina Chavez 1-2, RBI, Valerie Morris 1-2, RBI.