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You are here: Sports Features Patriot girls shut down Los Alamos; Pat boys out in two straight losses

Patriot girls shut down Los Alamos; Pat boys out in two straight losses

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A very large crowd at Ford Canyon took on the clouds and threatening rain on May 7, with sunshine being the ultimate reward as the Miyamura Patriot girls’ team shut out Los Alamos in the opening round of the State Tournament, 11-0.

The boys’ games in Artesia were not so happy as they were beaten in the first two games of a best-of-three series, 2-0 on May 6 and 11-1 on May 7. The losses eliminated the sophomore-heavy team from further play this season.

Behind the no-hit pitching of Monique Ashley, the Lady Patriots completely dominated the game with an eight-run first inning. It was all downhill from there as Ashley allowed only two baserunners -  one on a hit pitch and one walk – and struck out 13 of the 17 batters she faced in five innings.

The win did not start out in a dominating fashion as the leadoff batter went down swinging. Not even three consecutive singles by the Pats played well when they only scored one run out of them, and that on a wild pitch. The next batter walked to re-load the bases but the one following her was out on strikes, and a big rally did not look promising.

Wake-up time for the ladies, though, as they produced three more singles, a double, and waited patiently for three walks that chalked up seven more runs before the final out of the inning. The Hilltoppers were devastated at that point and could never recover.

The girls will have played against Roswell in Rio Rancho on May 12, one day before this story is published. For a little retrospective, Roswell finished district play with a perfect 12-0 record, but against much weaker teams – barely able to sustain # 8, 12 and 18 rankings. Miyamura’s district includes #1 Aztec and #3 Piedra Vista. The girls in purple and black also have Monique Ashley, or Mo as she’s called by her teammates.

Ashley throws hard, the ball breaks well for her, and she is consistently around the plate. Everything a coach wants from a pitcher. Ashley also had three strikeouts in three of the five innings she pitched, and two each in the other two innings. She hits well too, having gone 3-3 at the plate, including a double.

And the rest of the team backs her up well, on both sides of the field. The Lady Pats totaled 13 other hits in this game – Monique Flores was 3-4 with a double, Dayna Howard included a triple in her 2-3 performance, while Phrankie Pawlowski and Cassandra Esquibel both had two hits. Katlynn Silva, Alysha Mecale, and Desirae Madrid also collected hits for the Pats.

It was a disappointing end for the Patriot boys – as it is for every team except the eventual champion – as they lost two straight in oil country. The five sophomores, one freshman and three juniors had a rough time in the playoffs, the first one for some of them. It was much sadder for the four seniors, who will not get another chance to further advance in this tournament.

Story and photos

by Tom Hartsock
Sun Correspondent