Softball Recap: Tucumcari Rattlers vs. Estancia Bears
If Tucumcari was riding high off their 12-2 takedown of Mora last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Tucumcari Rattlers' rough 14-4 loss to the Estancia Bears on Tuesday might stick with them for a while. Tucumcari has not had much luck with Estancia recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Caylee Benavidez was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Angel Vasquez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1.
On Estancia's side, Jhenna Valencia made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Valencia has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 13 consecutive pitching appearances. Valencia was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Estancia got a massive performance out of Molli Garcia, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Garcia has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Karina Villafuerte, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Tucumcari's defeat dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Estancia, the win (which was their fifth in a row) raised their record to 13-2.
Tucumcari will head out on the road to face off against Dexter at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Dexter is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season. As for Estancia, they will be playing at home against East Mountain at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The timing is sure in Estancia's favor as the team sits on 11 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while East Mountain has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
