The West Las Vegas Dons will face off against the Belen Eagles at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as West Las Vegas comes in on eight and Belen on four.
West Las Vegas is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Ruidoso, who was ranked 23rd at the time (West Las Vegas was ranked 11th). The Dons' pitcher stepped up to hand the Warriors a 12-0 shutout on Saturday. Considering the Dons have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Malie Satete was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Bryanna Montoya was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple marked the first that she hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Aliana Otero, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
West Las Vegas always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ruidoso only posted an OBP of .316.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Belen). They blew past Highland 20-0 on Thursday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Paesen Lucero made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Lucero was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those two runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Belen got a massive performance out of Lorissa Scott, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and one double while going 3-for-4. That's the most RBI Scott has posted since back in April of 2024. Honey Mirabal was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
West Las Vegas' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Belen, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Las Vegas hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .389. However, it's not like Belen struggles in that department as they've averaged .470. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Las Vegas took their victory against Belen when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 9-2 score. Will the Dons repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
