The Espanola Valley Sundevils will venture away from home to face off against the Moriarty Pintos at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Espanola Valley has given up an average of 10.4 runs per game this season, but Saturday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Wednesday, Espanola Valley came up short against Pojoaque Valley and fell 15-11. The defeat continues a trend for the Sundevils in their meetings with the Elks/Elkettes: they've now lost four in a row.
Espanola Valley got a massive performance out of Aliya Rael-Lopez, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Leah Vigil, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple.
Meanwhile, Moriarty fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Los Alamos on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Hilltoppers by a score of 8-7.
Emma Rodriguez was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She tossed eight innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off ten hits. Rodriguez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.
Rodriguez wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Isabella Gallegos, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and one double. Another was Kristina Means, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.
Espanola Valley's record now sits at 4-12. As for Moriarty, their record is now 13-6.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Espanola Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .526. However, it's not like Moriarty struggles in that department as they've averaged .356. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Espanola Valley might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Moriarty when the teams last played back in March. Can the Sundevils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
