Softball Game Preview: St. Pius X Sartans vs. Rio Grande Ravens

St. Pius X is 9-1 against Rio Grande since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The St. Pius X Sartans will host the Rio Grande Ravens at 1:00 p.m. St. Pius X has given up an average of 10.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.

St. Pius X is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Atrisco Heritage Academy, who was ranked fourth at the time (St. Pius X was ranked 25th). St. Pius X fell just short of Atrisco Heritage Academy by a score of 14-13 on Wednesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Jordan Chavez

Hits (Career)

03/19/25 @ Atrisco Heritage Academy	3
03/14/25 vs Capital	2
03/08/25 @ Artesia	2
03/08/25 @ Roswell	2
03/06/25 vs Volcano Vista	2

Jordan Chavez was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Diamor Ibarra-Villegas, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.

Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Rio Grande's offense. They lost 19-0 to La Cueva on Wednesday. The Ravens have struggled against the Bears recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meetings.

Rio Grande's loss dropped their record down to 2-2. As for St. Pius X, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-8.

Rio Grande's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: St. Pius X has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Rio Grande, though, as they've been averaging 13.5 hits. Given St. Pius X's sizable advantage in that area, Rio Grande will need to find a way to close that gap.

St. Pius X took their victory against Rio Grande in their previous matchup back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 15-0. Does St. Pius X have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rio Grande turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.