Softball Recap: Portales Comes Up Short

Portales extended their losing streak to seven on Tuesday, dropping their season record down to 9-12 in the process. They lost 9-0 to the Artesia Bulldogs. If the Rams were looking for revenge after losing 12-0 to the Bulldogs when the teams met back in May of 2024, then they'll just have to keep looking.

Portales saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angel Ornelas, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one double.

As for Artesia, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games.

On Artesia's side, Katrin Marquez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over 6.2 innings pitched. Marquez has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.

In other batting news, Brooklyn Fuentes was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jenna Whitmire, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs.

Portales has already played their next match, a 16-1 loss against Lovington on the 25th. As for Artesia, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next game, a 7-0 win against Goddard on the 25th.