JT Keith
Artesia Daily Press
jtkeith@elritomedia.com
The Artesia Lady ’Dogs softball team is moving on to the quarterfinals after defeating the Deming Wildcats 4-0 and the Belen Eagles 10-2 in the first-ever four-team regional softball tournament held at the Mack Chase Sports Complex on Saturday.
“For both games, our team had a lot of energy,” Artesia softball coach Sandra Pulido said. “I believe game one got the best of us when it came to excitement. They were eager to get after it against Deming, having played them twice in the regular season.” (Artesia won those games, 17-2 and 15-0.)
With Saturday’s wins, Artesia (21-7) advances to the quarterfinal round of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Softball Championship, facing Lovington at 9 a.m. Thursday at Cleveland High School.
Game 1
To get there, the Lady ’Dogs got a boost from the game one pitching performance of Katrin Marquez, who shut out the Wildcats while allowing just three hits.
Once again, the Lady ’Dogs used the long ball to produce runs. In their last nine games, Artesia has hit 17 home runs; in seven of those games, the Lady ’Dogs have hit multiple home runs.
With one out in the bottom of the second inning, Jenna Whitmire laced a 3-1 pitch from Deming pitcher Maiyah Molina over the left field fence with a runner on first base to give Artesia a 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats threatened to score with runners on first and third in the third inning, but a groundout ended the rally.
In the fifth inning, with runners on second and third, Marquez struck out Deming hitter Bianca Pancheco to get out of the inning. In all, the Wildcats would leave five runners on base.
“It took us some time to adjust in the box, but we had some timely hits,” Pulido said. “Kat (Marquez) did a great job in the circle.”
Artesia’s Kayden Apodaca hit a sixth-inning home run to center field, giving the Lady ’Dogs a 3-0 lead. Artesia scored again when Kinsley Rodriguez crossed the plate on a single by Brooklyn Fuentes to make the score 4-0.
Fuentes went 1-for-2 while driving in a run and was hit by a pitch. The game was the first action Fuentes has seen since being injured earlier in the season.
Game 2
In the victory over Belen, Apodaca pitched a complete game, striking out 13 batters while allowing seven hits.
Artesia’s offensive onslaught included a three-run outburst in the sixth inning highlighted by a Whitmire homer and a sacrifice fly by Marquez. Artesia’s Tessa Yates scored on a double by Kambry Collins as the Lady ’Dogs added four runs in the top of the seventh inning to make the score 10-2.
“It is exciting to see it come together,” Pulido said. “And to see the fight they had for each other.”
Facing rival
When Artesia plays Lovington on Thursday, the Lady ’Dogs will be facing a rival they beat twice (3-2 and 7-1) this season but who also handed them a 6-4 loss.
“I believe for us to be victorious against Lovington,” Pulido said. “We need to have a plan when we step into the box, jump on them early, and not let up. Lovington tends to respond well, especially in the postseason.”
jtkeith can be reached at 575-420-0061, or on X@JTKEITH1
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