Portales is 0-10 against Artesia since April of 2022 but things could change on Friday. The Rams will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m.
Portales is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their ninth straight game on Tuesday. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 9-7 heartbreaker at the hands of Goddard.
Meanwhile, Artesia faced Lovington in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Bulldogs blew past the Wildcats 7-1. Considering the Bulldogs have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kayden Apodaca made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over 5.2 innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
Apodaca wasn't the only one making solid contact as eight players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Katrin Marquez, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Artesia kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in four consecutive games.
Artesia has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Portales, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-14.
Portales might still be hurting after the 9-0 loss they got from Artesia in their previous matchup last Tuesday. Will the Rams have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
