La Cueva is 9-1 against Sandia since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Bears will head out to challenge the Matadors at 10:00 a.m. La Cueva is coming into the match hot, having won their last 17 games.
La Cueva is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Rio Rancho, who was ranked 12th at the time (La Cueva was ranked second). The Bears put the hurt on the Rams with a sharp 12-2 win on Wednesday. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 18 games by ten runs or more this season.
Liliana Montoya
| 04/30/25 @ Rio Rancho | 9 |
| 04/28/25 vs Capital | 9 |
| 04/26/25 vs Santa Fe | 7 |
| 04/26/25 vs Santa Fe | 8 |
| 04/19/25 vs Capital | 9 |
| + 12 more games |
Liliana Montoya made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 17 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elizabeth Hoggan, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Brooklyn Eardley, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
La Cueva was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .478. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in 18 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Sandia owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Wednesday. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over Eldorado. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Matadors.
Not much got past Liliana Villanueva, who gave up just three hits and racked up 11 Ks to keep Eldorado off the board.
On the hitting side, Aleena Duran was excellent, earning two runs and two stolen bases. Mia Duran also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
La Cueva pushed their record up to 21-3 with the win, which was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.4 runs over those games. As for Sandia, their record is now 15-9.
La Cueva's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's matchup. The Bears have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Sandia, though, as they've been averaging only 0.5 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will La Cueva continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went La Cueva's way against Sandia in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as La Cueva made off with a 10-0 win. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Matadors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
