The Pojoaque Valley Elks/Elkettes will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the St. Michael's Horsemen at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pojoaque Valley has given up an average of 12.3 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pojoaque Valley is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 19 runs on Saturday, they were much more limited against Robertson on Tuesday. They lost 15-2 to the Cardinals.
Lauren Salazar was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.
Meanwhile, St. Michael's put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Taos 17-1. While the Horsemen didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Erianna Sisneros made a big impact no matter where she played. She tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, St. Michael's got a massive performance out of Karolina Ruiz, who went 2-for-3 with five stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. With that strong performance, Ruiz is now averaging an impressive 1.8 stolen bases per game. Nadia Cedillo was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-3.
St. Michael's always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .645. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .568 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
St. Michael's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Pojoaque Valley, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pojoaque Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like St. Michael's struggles in that department as they've averaged .402. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pojoaque Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against St. Michael's in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 8-7. Does Pojoaque Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will St. Michael's turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
