The Atrisco Heritage Academy Jaguars will challenge the Los Lunas Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Atrisco Heritage Academy comes in on four and Los Lunas on three.
Atrisco Heritage Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Albuquerque, who was ranked 24th at the time (Atrisco Heritage Academy was ranked 20th). The Jaguars came out on top against the Bulldogs by a score of 8-5 on Tuesday.
Melanie MacIas
| 04/15/25 vs Albuquerque | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Del Norte | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Rio Grande | 4 |
Melanie MacIas was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. MacIas was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. She is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games she's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aalyiah Chavez, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Larissa Morinia was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Atrisco Heritage Academy lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Los Lunas got the win against Albuquerque on Friday by a conclusive 18-8. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.
Kelsie DeGraaf was a standout: she scored four runs and stole three bases while going 5-for-5. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (three). Another player making a difference was Natalie Madrid, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.
Atrisco Heritage Academy's win bumped their record up to 15-5. As for Los Lunas, their victory bumped their record up to 14-6.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Atrisco Heritage Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .387. However, it's not like Los Lunas struggles in that department as they've averaged .391. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Atrisco Heritage Academy skirted past Los Lunas 6-4 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Do the Jaguars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
