The La Cueva Bears will challenge the Centennial Hawks at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with La Cueva sitting on 22 straight wins and Centennial on 31 (dating back to last season).
La Cueva is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Cibola 4-3.
Liliana Montoya
| 05/15/25 vs Cibola | 14 |
| 05/10/25 vs Las Cruces | 12 |
| 05/09/25 vs Organ Mountain | 11 |
| 05/03/25 @ Sandia | 8 |
| 05/03/25 @ Sandia | 19 |
| + 17 more games |
Liliana Montoya spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 22 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, La Cueva's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Alex Fox, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Another was Genesis Jaramillo, who earned two runs and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Centennial faced Mayfield in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Hawks came out on top against the Trojans by a score of 12-8. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Destiny Perez made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and seven unearned) runs off four hits. Perez was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Addie Moccia was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Brooklyn Milam was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Centennial was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .438. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .417 or higher in five consecutive games.
Centennial's win was their 25th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 28-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for La Cueva, their win bumped their record up to 26-3.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. La Cueva hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .444. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've averaged .434. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
La Cueva beat Centennial 10-6 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
