The Las Cruces Bulldawgs will be taking part in a tournament against the Eldorado Golden Eagles at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Eldorado will be up against a hot Las Cruces squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went Las Cruces' way against Riverside last Tuesday as Las Cruces made off with a 23-13 win. While the Bulldawgs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Leah Pacheco made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and seven unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing a base while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in runs.
Zaysha Hawkins
| 03/04/25 @ Riverside | 4 |
| 03/01/25 vs Sandia | 3 |
| 03/01/25 vs Sandia | 0 |
| 02/28/25 @ Deming | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ Deming | 2 |
| + 12 more games |
In other batting news, Zaysha Hawkins was a standout: she fired off two home runs, four runs, and five RBI while going 4-for-5. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Denae DiMatteo, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Las Cruces hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in six consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Eldorado, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They never let Hope Christian get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory on Tuesday. That looming 15-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Golden Eagles yet this season.
Kalei Ashburn made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Ashburn was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Hogan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples and two RBI. Alyssa Martinez was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Las Cruces' win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Eldorado, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Las Cruces' speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. Las Cruces has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Eldorado, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Las Cruces continue to outrun the ball?
Las Cruces took their victory against Eldorado in their previous matchup back in March of 2015 by a conclusive 15-1. Does Las Cruces have another victory up their sleeve, or will Eldorado turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
