Bernalillo has gone 8-2 against Pojoaque Valley recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. Bernalillo will head out to challenge Pojoaque Valley at 12:00 p.m. Bernalillo is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, Bernalillo narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past St. Michael's 7-5.
Uriel Castro
| 03/20/25 vs St. Michael's | 13 |
| 03/15/25 vs West Mesa | 9 |
| 03/07/25 vs Albuquerque Academy | 9 |
| 02/28/25 @ Capital | 6 |
Uriel Castro was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off four hits. He has become a key player for Bernalillo: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 4-5 otherwise. Castro was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Anthony Garcia was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Hernan Hernandez was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Bernalillo always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Michael's only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, Pojoaque Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They took a 10-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of Robertson.
Like Bernalillo, Pojoaque Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Ezekiel Atencio. On the mound, he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. That's the most strikeouts Atencio has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Atencio wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jose Lujan, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Pojoaque Valley's loss dropped their record down to 2-9. As for Bernalillo, the win got them back to even at 6-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Bernalillo has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pojoaque Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Bernalillo's way against Pojoaque Valley in their previous matchup on March 1st, as Bernalillo made off with a 20-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bernalillo since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
