Softball Game Preview: Tucumcari Rattlers vs. Estancia Bears

Tucumcari and Estancia are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Rattlers will head out on the road to challenge the Bears at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

On Monday, Tucumcari got the win against Santa Rosa by a conclusive 34-21.

Maaja Anaya

Stolen Base (Career)

04/21/25 @ Santa Rosa	4
04/04/25 @ Non Varsity Opponent	2
04/04/25 @ Non Varsity Opponent	2
04/18/25 vs Logan	1
04/18/25 vs Logan	1

Maaja Anaya and Caylee Benavidez did most of the damage at the plate: Anaya got on base in all seven of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, six runs, and five RBI, while Benavidez got on base in five of her six plate appearances with five stolen bases, seven RBI, and four runs. Those four stolen bases gave Anaya a new career-high. Another player making a difference was July Lafferty, who got on base in five of her six plate appearances with four stolen bases, five runs, and one double.

Tucumcari kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Estancia had already won 13 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.9 runs) and they went ahead and made it 14 on Thursday. They blew past the Yellowjackets 18-3. The result was nothing new for the Bears, who have now won 15 games by seven runs or more so far this season.

Tucumcari's victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-10. As for Estancia, they pushed their record up to 18-2 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home.

Tucumcari might still be hurting after the 14-4 loss they got from Estancia in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Rattlers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.