Santa Fe hasn't had much luck against La Cueva recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Demons will face off against the Bears at 10:00 a.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Saturday.
Santa Fe will bounce into Saturday's matchup after beating Manzano, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Demons were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Monarchs on Monday. The Demons not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since March 25th (when they won 14-3).
Leah Gutierrez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, A'Mya Jeselink was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in March of 2024. Alyssa Prada was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Santa Fe always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. They are 7-3 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, La Cueva had already won 12 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it 13 on Saturday. They never let the Jaguars get on the board and left with a 20-0 victory. The result was nothing new for the Bears, who have now won 14 games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Liliana Montoya made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on MaceRae Santistevan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Larkin Millburn, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
La Cueva's win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.6 runs over those games. As for Santa Fe, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-12 record this season.
Both Santa Fe and La Cueva just can't seem to miss. The Demons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. However, it's not like La Cueva struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santa Fe might still be hurting after the 18-0 defeat they got from La Cueva when the teams last played back in April of 2018. Can the Demons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
