Cobre eliminates Portales in long-delayed contest

STAFF REPORT

RIO RANCHO — The Portales High softball team knew it would be in for a long day in the Class 4A losers bracket if it intended to reach Saturday’s championship game.

Portales certainly got the long day, as rain and lightning delays dominated Friday’s state softball, baseball and track championship events. But the third-seeded Lady Rams couldn’t escape the losers bracket, falling to Cobre 3-0 at Cleveland High School.

link Staff photo: Joshua Lucero

Portales freshman catcher Shelbi Walker gets the ball too late to tag out a Cobre runner at home plate in the bottom of the sixth inning of the Rams’ Class 4A tournament game. The Indians knocked Portales out of the double-elimination bracket with a 3-0 win.

Junior Kiersten Ramirez allowed just two hits and went 3-for-3 with a double to help her cause, but fifth-seeded Cobre (21-8) capitalized on a pair of Portales errors in the fourth and sixth to score all three of its runs.

Portales (19-9) had just four hits, rounded out by a double for sisters Kailee and Kiersten Ramirez.

Even though the Lady Rams and Lady Indians did get into the fourth inning of their 11 a.m. contest before the weather delays started, Crowley said she and the team were very concerned the New Mexico Activities Association would have to shut down the losers bracket. The NMAA reserves the right to turn the eight-team double-elimination tournament into single-elimination as a response to inclement weather.

“The Cleveland softball coaching staff busted their butts to get the field ready for us to have this opportunity,” Crowley said.

Cobre moves on to an 8 a.m. contest against either Hope Christian or Robertson at Rio Rancho High School. That game’s winner will play at 10 a.m. against Bloomfield, a 10-1 loser to Silver in the winners bracket championship.

The losers bracket winner will face Silver at noon, also at RRHS, with the “if necessary” championship game at 2 p.m.