The Shiprock Chieftains will be taking part in a tournament against the Capitan Tigers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses apiece.
Hot Springs hit Shiprock with a four-run first inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Chieftains took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers.
Lujan Benally put in work no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2025. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Taylor Hale made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Ilyas Marquez, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Meanwhile, Capitan came up short against Dexter on Thursday, falling 14-3.
Capitan saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Christian Marquez-Padilla, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Marquez-Padilla has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Capitan's loss dropped their record down to 1-8. As for Shiprock, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-6.
Shiprock couldn't quite get it done against Capitan when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Will the Chieftains have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
