The Shiprock Chieftains will take on the Tularosa Wildcats in a tournament on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Shiprock's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Dexter with a sharp 16-0 victory. That looming 16-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Chieftains yet this season.
Jeramyh Begay was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Begay was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Hale, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Nicholas Moses, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Tularosa ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-8 win over Portales. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since April 18, 2024.
Samuel Kusmack was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Hunter Sewell, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Tularosa's win was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-2. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Shiprock, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-4.
Tularosa's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Shiprock hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .378. It's a different story for Tularosa, though, as they've only averaged .233. Will they be able to contain Shiprock's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
