The Espanola Valley Sundevils will face off against the St. Michael's Horsemen at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Espanola Valley has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while St. Michael's will arrive with seven straight wins.
Espanola Valley lost 20-3 to Bernalillo on Tuesday.
Espanola Valley saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Leah Vigil, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Aliya Rael-Lopez also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Even though they lost, Espanola Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. This was only their first loss (out of three games) when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, St. Michael's won against Pojoaque Valley on Thursday with 15 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Saturday. St. Michael's was the clear victor by a 15-4 margin over Valley. Fans of the Horsemen have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Nadia Cedillo made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, St. Michael's got a massive performance out of Jaslene Ramirez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Ramirez has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. Ariana Rivera was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.
St. Michael's pushed their record up to 7-0 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Espanola Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
Monday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Espanola Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .397. However, it's not like St. Michael's struggles in that department as they've averaged .396. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
