Baseball Game Preview: Tularosa Wildcats vs. Shiprock Chieftains

The Tularosa Wildcats are taking a road trip to take on the Shiprock Chieftains at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Tularosa took a 13-run defeat the last time they faced off against Portales, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Tularosa had just enough and edged out Portales 9-8 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since April 18, 2024.

The team relied heavily on Samuel Kusmack, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Hunter Sewell, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Shiprock never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Dexter on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Demons a 16-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Chieftains, who have now won three games by ten runs or more so far this season.

Jeramyh Begay made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Begay was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.

In other batting news, Taylor Hale was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Nicholas Moses also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Tularosa's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for Shiprock, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-4.