It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact Lovington can now relate to. They fell just short of the Artesia Bulldogs by a score of 10-9 on Friday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Lovington of the 6-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April.
Daphne Utajara was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: she struck out nine batters over eight innings while giving up six earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Anahie Quiroga and Honey Morales did some serious damage despite the final result: Quiroga scored two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances, while Morales scored a run while going 1-for-4. Zabri Rodriguez was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-5.
On Artesia's side, Kayden Apodaca spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Makayla Lujan was excellent, going 1-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Mikenzi Carlo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Lovington's defeat dropped their record down to 24-6. As for Artesia, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 21-8 record this season.
Lovington does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Artesia, they are on the road again on Friday to play Aztec at 1:00 p.m. Artesia's pitching crew has only allowed 2.2 runs per game this season, so Aztec's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
