Lady Panthers Advance to 2nd Round of State Tournament
By John Earp
The Jal High School Lady Panthers Softball Team faced off against the Mesilla Valley Christian School SonBlazers in Gallup, NM in the first round of the 2025 Nusenda State Tournament Wednesday in a contest that brought out the best of both squads. Determined athletes took the field with palpable energy, knowing the stakes were high in this pivotal tournament matchup. The Lady Panthers were seeded sixth in the tournament, while the SonBlazers were seeded 11th.
From the opening pitch, the Lady Panthers displayed a blend of disciplined defense and aggressive offense, challenging the SonBlazers at every turn. The SonBlazers were the first to score with a run in the third inning, followed by two additional runs in the top of the 5th. The Lady Panthers responded in the bottom of the 5th with two runs of their own. The tale of the game was told in the seventh and final inning, with Mesilla Valley scoring three runs, extending their lead 6-2 going into the final half inning of the game. When it was do-or-die, the Lady Panthers pulled out all stops, scoring 5 runs to win the game.
Aayliah Navarette batted 1.000 for the game, with one home run. Paetyn Lujan batted 0.500, with one home run. Johnna Butts batted 0.250 with one home run. Amylah Melancon batted 0.333 with one home run. Abigail Dardon batted 0.333 with one home run. Mayrin Nieto batted 0.250 with one home run. Kaedyn Lujan batted 0.250 with one home run as well. The Panther Pitcher, Johnna Butts, had an earned run average of 3.0 for the game.
The SonBlazers responded with resilience, mounting their own offensive surges and pushing the game into dramatic territory. Both teams traded leads in a nail-biting contest that showcased the skill and spirit of high school softball at its finest. The crowd was treated to a suspenseful finish, with players from both sides leaving it all out on the field. The Lady Panthers advanced on to the next game in the tournament immediately following their win against Mesilla Valley.
Against the third-seed team, the Hozho Academy Lady Wolves (23-4 overall; 9-1 in district), the Lady Panthers were first to get on the board with a run in the first inning. In the third inning, both teams scored the most amount of runs, with Jal scoring 4 to Hozho’s 3. The final score was 8-6, with the Lady Panthers winning and advancing to the second round of the state tournament. The Lady Panthers will play against the Raton Lady Tigers (23-4 overall; 11-1 in district; second seed in state tournament) Wednesday April 13th at 9:30 a.m. in the Los Altos Softball Complex in Albuquerque.