The Atrisco Heritage Academy Jaguars will take on the Albuquerque Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Atrisco Heritage Academy will be strutting in after a victory while Albuquerque will be coming in after a loss.
Atrisco Heritage Academy's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Rio Grande as they made off with a 16-0 win. Considering the Jaguars have won nine games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Melanie MacIas
| 04/29/25 vs Rio Grande | 7 |
| 04/25/25 @ West Mesa | 9 |
| 04/23/25 vs Los Lunas | 8 |
| 04/15/25 vs Albuquerque | 8 |
| 04/08/25 vs West Mesa | 10 |
Melanie MacIas made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Juliana Hernandez, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Aalyiah Chavez was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Atrisco Heritage Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. They are a perfect 13-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque faced Los Lunas in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Bulldogs fell 8-3 to the Tigers. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Tigers recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Naiyoki Wright was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run.
Atrisco Heritage Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Albuquerque, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-9.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Atrisco Heritage Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .510. However, it's not like Albuquerque struggles in that department as they've averaged .521. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Atrisco Heritage Academy beat Albuquerque 8-5 when the teams last played two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Jaguars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
