The Tohatchi Cougars will venture away from home to take on the Hatch Valley Bears at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Tohatchi was handed a eight-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Mescalero Apache 5-3.
Tohatchi got a great performance from Thurmond Bitsie as he struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.
Meanwhile, Hatch Valley hadn't done well against Silver recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Hatch Valley blew past Silver 9-2. The win was some much needed relief for the Bears as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak dating back to last season.
ALAN RUIZ made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. RUIZ was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI. Those RBI were his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on NATHANIEL ALEXANDER, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was FRANKLIN WILLIAMS, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Hatch Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hatch Valley's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-3. As for Tohatchi, the win got them back to even at 1-1.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
