Lady Rams split, finish second in district

LOVINGTON — The Portales Lady Rams crumbled in the first game Thursday.

To their credit, they bounced back from a 13-0 District 4-3A loss to rival Lovington to salvage a split with a 4-2 victory. Still, they had to settle for second place in the district behind the Lady Wildcats (9-15, 6-2 district).

Portales coach Robbie Crowley said her team simply made too many mistakes in the opener, which lasted only 4 1/2 innings due to the 10-run rule.

“We can’t have the errors we had,” she said. “I think we went in there trying not to lose instead of playing to win.”

Lovington took advantage of nine errors by the Lady Rams (15-10, 5-3), and added 10 hits off starter Sasha Parker and reliever Jessica Adkins.

Chelsea Moreno pitched a five-hit shutout for Lovington, with five players collecting one hit apiece for Portales.

The second game was a different story, although Crowley said the stakes weren’t as high.

“We didn’t have any pressure on us,” she said. “We’re going to have to learn to play under pressure.”

Parker pitched a two-hitter for the win, walking three and striking out nine. Still, it took Portales a while to get going.

Trailing 1-0, the Lady Rams went in front in the fifth on singles by Kacee Quick and Sara Silva and a two-run double by Parker. Lovington pulled even in the bottom half, but Portales went in front for good in the sixth when Janette Spotswood walked and came around on singles by Quick, Silva and Parker.

Amanda Terry drew a walk in the seventh inning and eventually scored on a passed ball.

Portales got eight hits off Chelsea Rogers, who pitched six innings, and Moreno. Quick, Silva and Parker each went 2-for-3.

The Lady Rams will now wait to see where they are seeded in the 16-team Class 3A postseason tournament. The top eight seeds earn a first-round home game sometime next week.