The Espanola Valley Sundevils will head out to square off against the St. Michael's Horsemen at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row, Espanola Valley turned things around against Thoreau on Thursday. They never let the Hawks get on the board and left with a 19-0 win. The Sundevils not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since March 12, 2024.
Aliah Villalobos
| 04/10/25 @ Thoreau | 4 |
| 03/21/25 @ Navajo Prep | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Los Alamos | 2 |
| 04/02/25 vs Taos | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs St. Michael's | 1 |
Aliah Villalobos was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs while going 3-for-3. Those four runs gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Dionicka Maestas was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aliya Rael-Lopez, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Espanola Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive matchups.
While St. Michael's 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. They put the hurt on Mescalero Apache with a sharp 17-0 victory on Friday. Considering the Horsemen have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Nadia Cedillo made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Cedillo was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, St. Michael's let Jaslene Ramirez and Karolina Ruiz run wild. Ramirez went 1-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs, while Ruiz got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that Ramirez launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Hailey Valdivia, who scored a run and stole four bases while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
The win made it two in a row for St. Michael's and bumps their season record up to 11-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Espanola Valley, their record is now 3-10.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Espanola Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .445. However, it's not like St. Michael's struggles in that department as they've averaged .387. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Espanola Valley suffered a grim 19-10 defeat to St. Michael's in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can the Sundevils avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
