The Volcano Vista Hawks will face off against the Sandia Matadors at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Volcano Vista has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with seven straight losses, while Sandia will come in with five straight victories.
Rio Rancho hit Volcano Vista with a nine-run fourth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Hawks lost 19-11 to the Rams. Even if the Hawks couldn't come away with the win, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Neveah Padilla made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Avery Bell was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Meanwhile, Sandia got the win against Eldorado on Saturday by a conclusive 9-3. Considering the Matadors have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Liliana Villanueva made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Villanueva was even better at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in each of the last five games she's played.
In other batting news, Aleena Duran was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Another player making a difference was Natalie Uecker, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Sandia was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .385 or higher in five consecutive games.
Sandia's victory bumped their record up to 12-8. As for Volcano Vista, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-14.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Volcano Vista hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Sandia struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Volcano Vista couldn't quite get it done against Sandia when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 9-6. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
