The Manzano Monarchs will square off against the Albuquerque Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Manzano was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Highland on Wednesday. Manzano put the hurt on Highland with a sharp 12-3 win. Considering the Monarchs have won three games by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Aljaris Pineda was incredible, scoring a run and stealing Three bases. while going 2-for-4. Grant Lord was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Albuquerque was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 12-11 heartbreaker at the hands of St. Pius X. One positive for the Bulldogs, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Albuquerque saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alonzo Granados, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those four RBI gave Granados a new career-high. Another was Gabriel Pohl, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Albuquerque lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Manzano has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. Albuquerque's defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.
Manzano was able to grind out a solid victory over Albuquerque in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 13-9. Does Manzano have another victory up their sleeve, or will Albuquerque turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
