Rio Grande has gone a perfect 5-0 against Highland recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Ravens will be playing in front of their home fans against the Hornets at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Rio Grande has three straight victories, Highland has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Rio Grande beats Highland with 11 runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Ravens' pitcher stepped up to hand West Mesa an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Ravens might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by nine runs or more this season.
Luis Salinas
| 03/29/25 @ Farmington | 6 |
| 03/07/25 vs St. Michael's | 6 |
| 03/06/25 vs Cibola | 6 |
| 04/04/25 vs Albuquerque | 2 |
| 03/24/25 vs St. Pius X | 1 |
Luis Salinas made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Rio Grande is 4-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 7-8 otherwise. Salinas was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Sebastian Chavez was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Reyes Martinez, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Rio Grande always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Mesa only posted an OBP of .300.
Meanwhile, Highland came up short against St. Pius X on Tuesday, falling 17-5.
Highland saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jose Tapia, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. That double was Tapia's first of the season. Miguel Leyba was another, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Rio Grande's win bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Highland, their loss dropped their record down to 3-12-1.
Highland's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rio Grande has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. It's a different story for Highland, though, as they've only averaged .351. Will they be able to contain Rio Grande's hitters?
Rio Grande took their victory against Highland in their previous matchup back in April of 2018 by a conclusive 12-2 score. Do the Ravens have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hornets turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
