The Estancia Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Santa Fe Indian Braves at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row dating back to last season, Estancia turned things around against Capitan on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 24-2 margin over the Tigers.
Matthew Montoya made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 12 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Montoya was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Joshua Villafuerte, who scored five runs and stole Six bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Justin Rubio was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Estancia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Capitan only posted an OBP of .185.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe Indian put another one in the bag on Wednesday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Espanola Valley a 15-0 shutout.
Nathanell Aguilar and Zachary Cordero made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Aguilar tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Cordero struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). At the plate, Aguilar scored four runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Cordero scored a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Kellin Tsosie was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, three doubles, and two runs. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Terrance Crispin, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
The victory got Estancia back to even at 1-1. As for Santa Fe Indian, their record is now 3-0.
Estancia might still be hurting after the 22-2 defeat they got from Santa Fe Indian in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can Estancia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
