Softball Preview: Gallup Bengals vs. Aztec Tigers
Gallup is on a 12-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Aztec is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Gallup Bengals will take on the Aztec Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gallup's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 17-0 margin over Shiprock.
Madison Martinez made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Martinez was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Gallup got a massive performance out of Jazmine Marrufo, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Brenna Becenti was another key contributor, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, everything went Aztec's way against Kirtland Central on Tuesday as Aztec made off with a 17-0 win. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Aztec has managed all season.
Aztec got a massive performance out of Reagan Bradshaw, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and three runs. Another player making a difference was Cami Lucio, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and a run.
Gallup's win bumped their record up to 14-5. As for Aztec, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a massive bump to their 13-8 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Gallup hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Aztec struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Gallup took their victory against Aztec when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 16-1. Does Gallup have another victory up their sleeve, or will Aztec turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
