Artesia has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against the St. Pius X Sartans at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Artesia is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Bloomfield a 13-0 shutout. Give Artesia's pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Kayden Apodaca made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Apodaca has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Apodaca was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-2 with a home run, four RBI, and a double.
In other pitching news, Katrin Marquez looked comfortable as she tossed an inning 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 two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Mikenzi Carlo was incredible, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Kinsley Rodriguez was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, St. Pius X came tearing into Friday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Wildcats 15-3.
Like Artesia, St. Pius X also got a great game from a two-way player: Aurora Green. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Green was even better at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, St. Pius X got a massive performance out of McKayla Cable, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and a run. Another player making a difference was Aubri Hooee, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3.
Artesia has been performing well recently as they've won 14 of their last 17 games, which provided a nice bump to their 19-7 record this season. As for St. Pius X, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-5.
St. Pius X's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Artesia has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for St. Pius X, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1. Will Artesia keep running through batters, or will St. Pius X buck the trend?
Artesia was able to grind out a solid win over St. Pius X in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, winning 10-6. Does Artesia have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Pius X turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
