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Maybe all Chris Martinez needs to make sensational, diving catches is a ton of pressure.

Maybe Martinez just isn't a money player in practice.

Because if it had been practice and if pitcher Devin Montoya's assessment of Martinez's ability to dive - and catch - fading fly balls is accurate, the lone Albuquerque team at the Majors All-Stars State tourney today would not be Zia Little League.

It would be South Valley.

"Chris practices those all the time in practice, but he always misses them," said Montoya. "I thought for sure it was going to drop."

The final-inning scene Tuesday was pure and typical Little League drama. Zia bumped across two runs in the top of the sixth on a rally started by a walk and a South Valley error.

South Valley came back in the bottom of the sixth to push across a run off Montoya to pull within one, 8-7. The scene for Martinez's dramatic catch went like this:

Two outs with a South Valley runner at third and first.

A high pop fly twisting toward the right-field line and about to drop between the Zia right fielder and the Zia first baseman.

Martinez racing from his second base position to desperately launch himself at the spinning ball.

And catching it.

"I thought I was going to crash into someone," said Martinez of the game-saving catch. "I just dove and it hit my glove. I had to look to make sure it stayed in my glove."

Said Montoya: "It was emotional out there. South Valley was coming back and they had some momentum, and I got a little teary out there on the mound."

The 8-7 win pushes Zia into the losers' bracket final against Carlsbad Shorthorn today at 5:30 p.m. at Altamont Little League. Zia is the only Albuquerque team left in the New Mexico Majors All-Stars Championship.

Roswell, which had 10 runs off Eastdale earlier in the tournament, threw a 13-3 mercy-rule pounding on Carlsbad on Tuesday at Altamont.

Roswell will play the Zia/Shorthorn winner at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with the "if necessary" game set for 5:30 p.m. Friday at Altamont.

Carlsbad's only threat Tuesday came in the fourth inning. Carlsbad made the score 8-3 with a three-run homer and had the bases loaded with two outs.

Roswell pitcher Caelin Wilcox put two of the Shorthorn runners on base with inside fastballs that hit the Carlsbad batters on the helmet. The game was stopped for several minutes as the umpires discussed the situation with both managers.

Wilcox stayed on the mound and struck out the final Carlsbad batter of the inning. At his next at-bat, Wilcox hit a solo homer.

"The first (hit batter) came when I was trying to put a little extra on the ball and it just slipped," said Wilcox. "On the second one, the ball was wet because it was kind of rainy.

"When you throw with a lot of velocity, sometimes the ball gets away."

Roswell, riding mercy-rule wins over Eastdale and Shorthorn, is considered a strong favorite to grab the state title and march on to regional play.

But Zia isn't tossing in any towels.

"I think we can come out (of the losers' bracket)," said Montoya. "If we play like we have been, we can win it."