Softball Game Preview: Moriarty Pintos vs. Belen Eagles

The Moriarty Pintos will be taking part in a tournament against the Belen Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in Moriarty's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home while Belen has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.

The home team had won the previous two meetings between Moriarty and Socorro, and Moriarty kept the tradition alive. Moriarty was the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Socorro on Friday. Considering the Pintos have won nine matches by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Isabella Gallegos made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.

Kristina Means

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/28/25 vs Socorro	3
03/27/25 vs Hot Springs	2
04/24/24 @ Espanola Valley	2
04/13/24 vs Espanola Valley	2
03/28/24 vs Santa Rosa	2

In other batting news, Emma Rodriguez and Kristina Means did most of the damage at the plate: Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI, while Means scored a run while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance also gave Means a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Sienna Rios, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Belen sidestepped Hope Christian for a 4-3 win. The victory continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won three in a row.

Moriarty is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. Belen's victory bumped their record up to 7-8.

Moriarty might still be hurting after the 16-2 loss they got from Belen when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can Moriarty avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.