Softball Recap: Del Norte Takes a Loss

Del Norte had lost 11 straight at home dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 3-21 to make it 12. They fell 9-4 to the Albuquerque Academy Chargers. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Chargers this season, with their most recent loss being a 7-0 defeat on April 8th.

As for Albuquerque Academy, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 12-9. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.3 runs over those games.

For Albuquerque Academy's part, Melissa Purcella made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 18 over 6.1 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Purcella has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.

In other batting news, Bella Swanson was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Samantha Walker was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

Coming up, Del Norte will head out on the road to square off against Valley at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Albuquerque Academy, they will head out to face off against Rio Grande at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Ravens have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.57 runs per game on average), something the Chargers will no doubt try to take advantage of.