Softball Game Preview: Rio Rancho Rams vs. Cibola Cougars

The Rio Rancho Rams are taking a road trip to challenge the Cibola Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Rio Rancho is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.

If Rio Rancho beats Cibola with eight runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Rams beat Volcano Vista on Thursday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-3.

Meanwhile, Cibola faced Piedra Vista in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Cougars sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-3 win over the Panthers. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.

Gabrielle Moncada made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Moncada was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Angelica Medina, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Vanessa Romero was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

Rio Rancho's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Cibola, their record is now 15-3.

Rio Rancho couldn't quite finish off Cibola in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 11-9. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.