Baseball Game Preview: Valencia Jaguars vs. Belen Eagles

Valencia hasn't had much luck against Belen recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Jaguars are taking a road trip to square off against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Valencia is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over Highland on Tuesday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Jaguars as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.

Zaylon Zamora was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.

Ancel Rossell

Stolen Base

03/25/25 vs Albuquerque	3
04/29/25 vs Highland	2
04/11/25 @ Highland	2
03/19/25 vs Moriarty	2
02/27/25 vs Pojoaque Valley	2
+ 6 more games

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ancel Rossell, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Valencia's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 4-1 (and 6-13 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Isaiah Luna, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Belen faced Grants in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Eagles had just enough and edged out the Pirates 8-6. The win was familiar territory for the Eagles, who have now won three matchups in a row.

Belen pushed their record up to 17-8 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.5 runs over those games. As for Valencia, their record is now 10-14.

Valencia suffered a grim 22-11 defeat to Belen in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Jaguars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.