vs
| 04/18/25 - Home | 10-3 W |
| 03/28/25 - Neutral | 4-3 W |
| 05/11/24 - Home | 3-8 L |
| 05/11/24 - Home | 3-7 L |
| 05/10/24 - Home | 6-5 W |
| + 5 more games |
Hope Christian and Bernalillo are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2023, but likely not for long. The Huskies will take on the Spartans at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hope Christian's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Bernalillo's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Hope Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Albuquerque Academy, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Hope Christian was ranked 22nd). The Huskies fell just short of the Chargers by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Huskies couldn't push the score so high this time.
Luciano Gabaldon was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
At the plate, Hope Christian saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Porter Chastain, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Another was Brady McGahie, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Bernalillo, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over Del Norte on Tuesday. The Spartans haven't had any issues with the Knights recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Christian Sanchez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up a single walk in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and three runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Bernalillo got a massive performance out of Uriel Castro, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. The Spartans are 5-1 when Castro posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-11 otherwise. Ulisses Castro was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI.
Bernalillo was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.
Bernalillo's record is now 10-12. As for Hope Christian, the loss snapped their winning streak at four games and leaves them with a 14-7 record.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hope Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bernalillo struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Hope Christian's way against Bernalillo when the teams last played on Friday, as Hope Christian made off with a 10-3 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
