Baseball Game Preview: Del Norte Knights vs. Valley Vikings

Del Norte hasn't had much luck against Valley recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Knights will welcome the Vikings at 4:00 p.m. Del Norte has given up an average of 12 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Del Norte is headed into Thursday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday. They lost 13-0 to Albuquerque Academy. Considering the last time the Knights couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.

Del Norte saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Malvin Waquie, who went 1-for-2 with one double. That double marked the first that Waquie hit this season.

Meanwhile, Valley faced Hope Christian in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Vikings walked away with a 4-1 win over the Huskies. The victory continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won three in a row.

Jayden Martinez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Valley is 4-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-9 otherwise.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Thomas Velarde, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. Valley is undefeated when Velarde posts one or more home runs, but 6-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Estevan Fernandez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run.

Valley's win bumped their record up to 9-10. As for Del Norte, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11-1.

Del Norte suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.