The Cibola Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the La Cueva Bears at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Thursday, Cibola faced Albuquerque in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Cibola put the hurt on Albuquerque with a sharp 17-9 win. The victory was nothing new for Cibola as they're now sitting on three straight.
Gabrielle Moncada and Maci Melvin made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Moncada struck out ten batters over 4.1 innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Meanwhile, Melvin pitched 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Moncada has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Moncada went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple, while Melvin fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Cibola let Ashley Varela and Amaya Castille loose on the outfield. Varela scored two runs while going 3-for-4, while Castille scored three runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Aunika Marquez, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, La Cueva scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. They never let Del Norte onto the board and left with a 15-0 win. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
La Cueva got a massive performance out of Hailey King, who went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Antonya Lucero was another key contributor, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, a triple, and a run.
Cibola's win bumped their record up to 5-3. As for La Cueva, their victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-3.
Friday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Cibola hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .405. However, it's not like La Cueva struggles in that department as they've averaged .322. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cibola suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to La Cueva when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Will Cibola have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
