JT Keith  

Artesia Daily Press 

jtkeith@elritomedia.com 

There are no guarantees in sports or life but with the defending District 4-4A champion Lovington Wildcats coming into the Mack Chase Sports Complex at 5 p.m. Tuesday, this year’s district title could be at stake. 

As of this article, Lovington and Artesia were tied for first place in the district. The winner of this game will probably win the district championship and have a better seeding position for state playoff selections. 

Artesia is 16-7 overall, 5-1 in district. Lovington is 16-6 overall and 4-1 in district play.  

Artesia will close the regular season Friday with a doubleheader at Portales. Lovington will play two at Goddard on Friday and make up a rainout at Portales to wrap up district competition on Saturday. 

Here are three keys to Artesia securing the District 4-4A crown. 

1. Artesia must continue to play the way it has all season long. The Lady Bulldogs have mostly played the short game, hitting singles and taking the extra base. But they have been able to hit the long ball when needed. 

Teams cannot pitch around Artesia’s power hitter Kayden Apodaca, who leads the team in home runs with 10. Teammate Jenna Whitmire has seven homers and Katrin Marquez has five. The Lady ‘Dogs have 30 home runs as a team. 

2. Do not feel the pressure of the game. Artesia wants revenge but must guard against being too excited about beating the Wildcats. It’s a Lovington team that won the district championship last year. Even though this game is for the potential district championship, the Lady Dogs must stay relaxed and play their game. 

“This game means a lot,” Artesia coach Sandra Pulido said. “We’re tied with Lovington, and that (game) will be the tiebreaker for determining who will win our district this season.” 

3. Don’t think ahead and do the small things that lead to winning. Coach Pulido said she would tell her players to take it one pitch at a time and to win each inning. 

“When we play games against teams like Silver and Lovington and other excellent schools, it brings out that rivalry and extra competition that we have,” Pulido said. “We tend to move away from the small things we must do. We try to get to the big picture right away. We must slow it down in those games and do our job.” 

JTKeith can be reached at 575-420-0061 or on X@JTKEITH1