Los Lunas is a perfect 3-0 against West Mesa since March of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Tigers are taking a road trip to challenge the Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. Los Lunas is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
It was a proper cat-fight when Los Lunas took on Atrisco Heritage Academy on Monday. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Jaguars.
Kaiden Reese was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Reese was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024.
Jonah Utash
| 04/21/25 @ Atrisco Heritage Academy | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs St. Pius X | 2 |
| 04/02/24 vs Miyamura | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs West Mesa | 1 |
| 03/24/25 @ Cleveland | 1 |
In other batting news, Jonah Utash was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases and four runs. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. JD Diaz also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Los Lunas was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, West Mesa hadn't done well against Albuquerque recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Mustangs came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 20-16. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Mustangs' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Ayden Gonzales was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four RBI and two runs. He is becoming a predictor of West Mesa's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-14 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Scott Wilson, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double.
Los Lunas has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 13-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for West Mesa, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 8-14.
West Mesa's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Los Lunas has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for West Mesa, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will Los Lunas keep running through batters, or will the Mustangs buck the trend?
Everything went Los Lunas' way against West Mesa when the teams last played on April 4th, as Los Lunas made off with a 12-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
