By JT Keith
The Artesia Lady Bulldogs are on a roll. They have won eight out of their last 10 games and are currently on a three-game win streak with an April 11 victory over District 5A Hobbs and a doubleheader sweep against 5A Roswell the next day.
The home run has been a staple of Artesia’s offense this season. The team has 17 homers with junior Kayden Apodaca blasting seven. Jenna Whitmire has hit three and Kinsley Rodriguez has two.
“Home runs are fun,” said Artesia’s three-time state champion coach Sandra Pulido. “Everybody loves home runs. If it happens, it happens. We just push for line drives and to get on base. Many players on our team have home-run power as long as they stay through the ball.”
Artesia begins district play
Artesia heads into district play at Goddard at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Pulido has the Lady Dogs believing they can win after starting the season with three consecutive losses. She has guided the team to a five-game winning streak and a pair of three-game-winning streaks to go 11-6 on the season.
The team has nine seniors
There are nine seniors on the roster but many are playing varsity for the first time. And one of them, shortstop Makayla Lujan, has been sidelined by injury.
“Makayla is showing her senior leadership by helping in the dugout, at practice, and cheering her teammates on,” Pulido said.
The seniors have figured out the game is different at the varsity level, the coach said.
“Our team has learned how to fight for each other,” Pulido said. “And they are starting to play for each other, and they are going to be dangerous because they have the skill and talent.”
Due to bad weather and also because of the way the schedule was set up, the team went two weeks without playing games.
District play
As district play begins, the team will have Katrin Marquez and Kayden Apodaca in the pitching circle and senior Kambry Collins to give opponents a different look.
“Her (Collins’) ball moves well,” Pulido said. “I think her best pitch is a curveball and her change-up … She is going to help us as we get through the district.”
The team’s strength will be its defense, as Rodriguez is stellar at third base and Whitmire gloves everything at shortstop.
The District 4A title will come down to Artesia’s battle against defending district champion Lovington. Last year, the Lady Dogs finished second to the Wildcats in district play but went on to beat Gallup 1-0 and force a championship game before losing 7-1 in the state final.
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