The Eldorado Golden Eagles will take on the Espanola Valley Sundevils in a tournament on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Eldorado has three straight victories, Espanola Valley has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Eldorado is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Atrisco Heritage Academy, who was ranked 21st at the time (Eldorado was ranked 14th). The Golden Eagles came out on top against the Jaguars by a score of 7-2 on Thursday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 9, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Sidney Romero spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Mya Gallegos was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Alyssa Martinez, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Eldorado hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 4-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Espanola Valley came up short against Bloomfield on Thursday, falling 18-7.
Alyssa Lomayma made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Leah Vigil, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Espanola Valley's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Eldorado, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Espanola Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Eldorado has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Espanola Valley, though, as they've been averaging 19 hits. Given Eldorado's sizable advantage in that area, the Sundevils will need to find a way to close that gap.
Eldorado got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in March of 2023 against Espanola Valley by a conclusive 11-1 score. Will the Golden Eagles repeat their success, or do the Sundevils have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
