Socorro softball feels the heat

The softball bats were booming in Socorro’s District 3-3A opening series, a split three-game set against Hot Springs that started at home with a single home game April 9, followed by a doubleheader in balmy Truth or Consequences over the weekend.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Tigers’ bats carried a little more powder than Socorro, taking two of the three games.

Socorro dropped the opener at home 19-5.

“We didn’t come out to play that day,” coach Tracy Romero said. “The girls weren’t playing their game at all. It definitely was disappointing. It didn’t go the way we planned. Didn’t go the way we wanted.”

It came as a surprise to the players since the Warriors had swept Hot Spring a year ago.

But this season, Hot Springs is under new leadership, which has had a big impact, Romero said.

“Kudos to T or C,” she said. “They got a new coach this year and they have improved.”

That improvement was not expected.

“I think they were very difficult,” said senior outfielder Najiah Lucero. “It was very different from last season. We beat them by a lot going in and losing was a big reality check.”

Socorro did rally well, taking the series’ second game 29-12 on Saturday.

“That showed that they played their game,” Romero said. “They hit really well and played very good defense.”

The Warriors jumped out quick, scoring four in the first and six in the second, holding a 10-6 lead after three innings. A five-run rally in the fourth added some cushion, but Hot Springs scored four in the fifth to make it close at 17-12.

Then Socorro just exploded, putting up 12 runs in the top of the fifth to put the game away as it ended early on the mercy rule.

“We went back stronger,” Lucero said of the doubleheader. “When we went back there, we had the fire inside of to us beat them and we did.”

Losing at home was such a disappointment that it got the entire squad fired up, she said.

“After we lost to them on our home turf, everybody went out with a good mentality,” Lucero said. “Our dugout was really loud and we were really ready. Everybody was hyped and it made us each be so much more positive. And I think everybody was on their toes and ready to make the plays.”

But in the series finale, as temperatures climbed into the 90s, the Warriors lost their energy and with it, their resolve, the coach said.

“We have to learn how to battle through fatigue and fans and the distractions,” Romero said. “I think that’s one of the things the girls have to work on. They were tired and hot and it was toasty. The first game, it was really nice. But anybody who has been on a turf field knows how it picks up and holds the heat. It goes up 10 to 15 degrees.”

Socorro did take a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but failed to add to it in the second and the Tigers responded with a 10-run rally in their half of the second. The Warriors did answer with five in the third and three in the fourth, but Hot Springs scored four in its half of the third and put the game out of reach with eight more runs in the fourth.

The Warriors expected better of themselves, Lucero said.

“In the second game, it was very hot, everybody was kind of beaten by the heat,” she said. “Everybody was tired. We only had a 10- or 15-minute break between games, everybody was kind of swinging at everything. It was still fun, but kind of sad because we started off the day so good.”