Hot Springs hit Shiprock with a four-run first inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Chieftains took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tigers. The Chieftains were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Tigers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2016.
Lujan Benally was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2025. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Taylor Hale made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Ilyas Marquez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Shiprock is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-6. As for Hot Springs, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-5 record this season.
Shiprock will be taking part in a tournament against Capitan at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The Tigers have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 17.38 runs per game on average), something the Chieftains will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Hot Springs, they will take on Dexter in a tournament on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
