Nogales had lost four straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 7-18 to make it five. They came up short against the Cienega Bobcats, falling 17-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Bobcats this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 16-1 on Tuesday.
Nogales saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zendy Peralta, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
As for Cienega, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season. The result was nothing new for Cienega, who have now won 18 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
On Cienega's side, Sophia Butt was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts Butt has posted since back in March of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Cienega let Allison Mullen and Micaela Valenzuela run wild. Mullen went a perfect 4-for-4 with five runs, two stolen bases, and three doubles, while Valenzuela went 4-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave Mullen a new career-high. Melissa Barron also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Nogales is set to challenge their familiar foe Pueblo at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Cienega will face off against rival Desert View at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
