Artesia has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Portales Rams at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Artesia is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Artesia is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Lovington, who was ranked 11th in their home state at the time (Artesia was ranked fifth). Artesia fell just short of Lovington by a score of 3-2 on Friday. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Artesia in their matchups with Lovington: they've now lost three in a row.
Madison Martinez was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she pitched 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
On the hitting side, Perseis Aguilar was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-3 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Makayla Lujan, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Meanwhile, Portales was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They wound up on the wrong side of a tough 18-8 walloping at the hands of Goddard.
Dawci Cordova was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Artesia's record is now 12-7. As for Portales, their record now sits at 10-9.
Artesia took their win against Portales in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 16-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Artesia since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
