Rams softball season ends in loss to Alamogordo

ALBUQUERQUE — It took two days, but the Rio Rancho High School softball team’s season ended Saturday, May 10.

Rain and lightning led to the No. 11 Rams’ first-round game in the Class 5A state tournament to be halted, and after a long delay, the fact that Cibola High School doesn’t have lights at its field forced the teams to resume their game Saturday morning.

Sixth-ranked Alamogordo led 7-2 and was batting in the bottom of the sixth, with one out and a runner at first, when play was stopped. The No. 6 Tigers surrendered the Rams their final run of the season in the seventh on Saturday morning.

Aleah Alvarado singled with one down. Jordyn Tenorio reached on an error, but pitcher Delysia Valdez grounded out. Lilyrose Larrabee singled to center, scoring Alvarado, but the rally — and season — ended when Ariana Hernandez grounded out.

The Rams (16-11) had scored twice in the second inning for an early lead, but that was the end of their scoring.

Hernandez was hit by a pitch and Olivia Chavez doubled, sending Hernandez to third. Hernandez scored and Chavez went to third on a passed ball, and Chavez plated on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Alivia Henderson.

The Rams’ rally didn’t end: Marissa Valdez singled to left, and after Allyson Hooker struck out, Alvarado walked and Tenorio was hit by a pitch, filling the bases. Valdez then flew out to center to end the threat.

The Tigers (18-9) scored a run in the bottom of the second, added three to take the lead for good in the third, and padded their lead with another run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, all Friday. (On Saturday, Cibola sent the Tigers into the consolation bracket, 5-1.)

RRHS coach Paul Kohman, the only head coach the program has had since its 1998 debut, vowed the team will be better in 2026. He was buoyed by the performances of the junior varsity (20-4-1) and freshman (8-7, but lacking four games’ scores) teams.

The Rams’ record was better than the past two seasons, each of which was 13-14.

“You know, we had six kids that were seniors that were great kids and did a pretty good job this year.

“Our defense — we had half the errors we had last year — so they drastically helped us improve that,” he said. “Our batting average was up a little bit from what it was a year ago. We had 30 home runs last year; we had 55 this year. And we have plans on what we’re going to do for pitching for the future.”

Pitcher Delysia Vadez returns in 2026 as a senior; Kohman hopes her control will improve.

In Friday’s finale, in which she threw 151 pitches, she struck out five Tigers but walked 11 of them; Rams batters received just two walks in the game.

“We will add more,” he said. “Destiny (Gonzales) is done; she didn’t get to play too much in the last two weeks because her back was bothering her, and that definitely didn’t help us out — she hadn’t pitched since she was in seventh grade, and it was great of her to work on doing it this year to help her team.”

Alvarado, also a senior, saw time in the circle this season; freshman Kianna Lambert also got a few innings under her belt.

Kohman has led his teams to more than 450 wins and four state championships: in 2003, 2014, 2015 and 2019. Given talented players, he knows what to do with them.

“Things didn’t work out the way all of us wanted,” he continued, “I think we’re maybe not as quick on track as I would like, but we are headed in the right direction. And next year will be an even better year — obviously, our goal is to get back to where we were in ’19.”

BuntsSeven other teams lost and were eliminated Friday/Saturday in the first round: No. 1 Centennial shut out No. 16 Eldorado, 11-0; No. 2 La Cueva beat No. 15 Organ Mountain, 10-0; No. 3 Cibola kept Albuquerque High scoreless, 12-0; No. 4 Carlsbad beat No. 13 Hobbs, 13-5; No. 5 Mayfield topped No. 12 Sandia, 5-2; No. 10 Las Cruces defeated No. 7 Piedra Vista, 12-8; and No. 9 Atrisco Heritage Academy beat No. 8 Los Lunas, 11-7.

… In Saturday’s winners’ bracket games, Centennial beat Atrisco Heritage Academy, 13-1; La Cueva beat Las Cruces, 7-1; Cibola defeated Alamogordo, 5-1; and Mayfield knocked off Carlsbad, 4-2. That set up the semifinals for this week: Centennial-Mayfield and La Cueva-Cibola.