The Cibola Cougars will head out to face off against the La Cueva Bears at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. Cibola is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Cibola is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over Alamogordo. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Gabrielle Moncada
| 05/10/25 vs Alamogordo | 10 |
| 05/09/25 vs Albuquerque | 10 |
| 04/29/25 vs Farmington | 12 |
| 04/25/25 @ Rio Rancho | 7 |
| 04/22/25 @ Piedra Vista | 10 |
| + 3 more games |
Gabrielle Moncada spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Cibola's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Athena Joyce, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, La Cueva waltzed into their match on Saturday with 20 straight wins... but they left with 21. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Bulldawgs. The result was nothing new for the Bears, who have now won 21 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Liliana Montoya made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Montoya was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Genesis Jaramillo, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Brooklyn Eardley, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.
La Cueva lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their home run total in three consecutive games.
La Cueva's victory was their 14th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for Cibola, their record is now 23-5.
Both Cibola and La Cueva just can't seem to miss. The Cougars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.7 hits per game. However, it's not like La Cueva struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cibola suffered a grim 24-4 defeat to La Cueva in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
