The St. Michael's Horsemen are on the road again on Thursday to play the Ruidoso Warriors at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Michael's can't be too worried about heading out to take on Ruidoso: they just beat Santa Fe Indian at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. St. Michael's skirted past Santa Fe Indian 6-5.
The team relied heavily on Sabiani Rios, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Michael Giesler, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Ruidoso extended their postseason success on Saturday against Sandia Prep. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Sundevils a 10-0 shutout. Ruidoso might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won 11 contests by six runs or more this season.
Logan Sandoval was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over five innings pitched. Sandoval has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Sandoval was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Gabriel Johnson was excellent, going 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Josiah Saiz was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
St. Michael's is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season. As for Ruidoso, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-9.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. St. Michael's has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .454. However, it's not like Ruidoso struggles in that department as they've averaged .442. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went St. Michael's way against Ruidoso when the teams last played back in March of 2019 as St. Michael's made off with a 13-1 win. Does St. Michael's have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ruidoso turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
