Baseball Game Preview: Los Lunas Tigers vs. La Cueva Bears

Los Lunas is 0-3 against La Cueva since April of 2022 but things could change on Thursday. The Tigers will square off against the Bears at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Los Lunas sitting on three straight wins and La Cueva on 15.

Los Lunas is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They never let Volcano Vista get on the board and left with a 14-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Tigers, who have now won 11 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.

Kaiden Reese

Earned Runs

05/10/25 @ Volcano Vista	0
04/29/25 vs Albuquerque	1
04/21/25 @ Atrisco Heritage Academy	1

Kaiden Reese made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, earning two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, JJ Utash was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Jonah Utash, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.

Los Lunas kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are a perfect 11-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, La Cueva faced Las Cruces in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Bears walked away with a 7-3 win over the Bulldawgs.

La Cueva's victory was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 25-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Los Lunas, their victory bumped their record up to 18-10.

Los Lunas couldn't quite get it done against La Cueva in their previous matchup back in April as they fell 9-4. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.