It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Ruidoso ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Robertson Cardinals 12-11. The victory was familiar territory for Ruidoso who now have three in a row.
Logan Sandoval made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Sandoval was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Gabriel Johnson, who got on base in four of his six plate appearances with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Justin Mendez was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-5.
Like Ruidoso, Robertson also got a great game from a two-way player: Rico Montoya. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up four earned runs but no hits (and only one walk). Montoya was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 3-for-6.
In other batting news, Quik Cordova was cooking despite his team's loss, going 4-for-5 with a home run, six RBI, and two triples. Another player making a difference was Brian Lucero, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Robertson kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ruidoso only hit eight.
Ruidoso pushed their record up to 4-2 with that win, which was their third straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs per game. As for Robertson, they have fallen quite a ways from their 16-8 record last season and are now at 1-4.
Ruidoso will have a chance to go back-to-back against Robertson: the pair will be back at it again later today.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
