Lovington hasn't had much luck against Goddard recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Lovington Wildcats will face off against the Goddard Rockets at 4:00 p.m. Lovington is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Lovington made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Clovis, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Lovington was the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Clovis on Thursday. Lovington not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since March 23, 2024.
Mika Pando
| 03/20/25 vs Clovis | 5 |
| 04/26/24 @ Artesia | 4 |
| 03/23/24 vs Los Alamos | 4 |
| 03/16/24 vs Pojoaque Valley | 4 |
| 03/10/25 @ Kermit | 3 |
Mika Pando was incredible, going 2-for-3 with five RBI and one triple. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayden Gutierrez, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
Pando wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Lovington kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. Lovington is a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Goddard got the win against Alamogordo on Thursday by a conclusive 8-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Rockets.
Lucien Betancur tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Goddard is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 1-2 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Marcos Rodriquez, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Jaden Fuentes also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Lovington has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. The victory got Goddard back to even at 3-3.
Lovington came up short against Goddard when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 8-5. Can Lovington avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
