Mayfield capped a dominant postseason run with a decisive 20-2 victory over Las Cruces, ending the championship game via run rule in the fifth inning after piling on five more runs in the bottom half of the frame.
By Levi Gwaltney for Las Cruces Digest
Photos: Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics (via Facebook)
The 2025-26 prep sports season in southern New Mexico began with Mayfield and Las Cruces colliding on the football field. It ended with the same two rivals. Only this time, the game was played on the diamond… and there was a Blue Trophy on the line.
Local rivals Mayfield and Las Cruces squared off Saturday afternoon in the championship game of the 2026 Nusenda Credit Union State Softball Tournament, guaranteeing before the first pitch was ever thrown that the state title would remain in our broader community for another year.
The only question left was whose hands would raise it. When the dust settled on the Lobo Softball Field at UNM, it was the top-seeded Lady Trojans standing alone. There was simply no doubt about it.
Image Courtesy New Mexico Activities Association
Mayfield capped a dominant postseason run with a decisive 20-2 victory over Las Cruces, ending the championship game via run rule in the fifth inning after piling on five more runs in the bottom half of the frame, and in a fitting bit of symmetry, the Trojans accomplished in softball exactly what the Bulldawgs accomplished against Mayfield to open football season months earlier — a rivalry blowout that ended before regulation could expire.
The championship performance was overwhelming from nearly every angle. Mayfield Junior Jayleen Ponce turned in a perfect performance at the plate, batting 1.000 for the game, though even that remarkable outing was partially eclipsed by sophomore slugger Ausaundra Roberto, whose three home runs accounted for seven of Mayfield’s 20 runs.
The Trojans entered the tournament as the top overall seed and, outside of one early scare, played like it throughout the week. After surviving No. 16 Rio Rancho in 7th-inning comeback fashion in the opening play-in round, Mayfield quickly reasserted itself as the bracket favorite. The Trojans rolled past Centennial, Cleveland, and Las Cruces in the championship bracket, handing the Bulldawgs an earlier loss that forced them into the longer road through consolation play.
Las Cruces responded by refusing to go away. The Lady Bulldawgs opened tournament play with wins over No. 7 Albuquerque High and district rival Alamogordo before traveling to Albuquerque, where they knocked off Piedra Vista to remain alive in the bracket. After falling to Mayfield the first time, Las Cruces again battled through the consolation side, defeating Alamogordo 12-7 to earn a rematch with the Trojans in the title game.
Las Cruces High School brings home second in the 2026 Nusenda Credit Union State Softball Tournament. (Photo Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics via Facebook)
It ultimately set the stage for an ending that felt appropriate for the broader year in prep athletics.
Two rivals.
One community.
One final game to close the scholastic sports calendar.
Following the game, players from both schools embraced each other in a show of sportsmanship, and (more importantly) community. (Photo Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics via Facebook)
And when the final out was recorded Saturday afternoon, the Blue Trophy was once again headed south. The Centennial Hawks may not have completed the three-peat, but the trophy remains in southern New Mexico.
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