Baseball Game Preview: Manzano Monarchs vs. Santa Fe Demons

The Manzano Monarchs will square off against the Santa Fe Demons at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Manzano is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.

Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Manzano turned things around against Del Norte on Wednesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Knights a 13-0 shutout. The Monarchs not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since February 27th.

Diego Bustamante

Earned Runs

04/05/25 vs La Cueva	6
03/04/25 vs Valley	3
03/15/25 vs Albuquerque	1
03/01/25 vs West Mesa	1

Diego Bustamante looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Manzano: the team is 5-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 3-8 otherwise.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aljaris Pineda, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Manzano's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 5-10 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Aidan Abeyta, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their seventh straight loss. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Capital.

Gabe Barker and Logan Gallegos did some serious damage despite the final result: Barker went 2-for-3 with one triple, one double, and one RBI, while Gallegos scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That double was Barker's first of the season. Austin Tokoroyama was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

Santa Fe's defeat dropped their record down to 4-15. As for Manzano, their victory bumped their record up to 8-10.

Manzano skirted past Santa Fe 5-4 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Do the Monarchs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Demons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.