Sandia is 1-9 against La Cueva since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Matadors will be playing at home against the Bears at 10:00 a.m. Sandia is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.
Sandia's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They walked away with a 4-0 win over Eldorado. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Matadors.
Not much got past Liliana Villanueva, who gave up just three hits and racked up 11 Ks to keep Eldorado off the board. Villanueva has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Aleena Duran was excellent, earning two runs and two stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Mia Duran, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, La Cueva waltzed into their matchup on Wednesday with 16 straight wins... but they left with 17. They were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Rams. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 18 games by ten runs or more this season.
Liliana Montoya made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Montoya was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elizabeth Hoggan, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. Brooklyn Eardley was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
La Cueva was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .478. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in 18 consecutive contests.
La Cueva's victory was their 14th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Sandia, their victory bumped their record up to 15-9.
Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Sandia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .477. However, it's not like La Cueva struggles in that department as they've averaged .567. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sandia suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to La Cueva in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Matadors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
