The Los Lunas Tigers will challenge the Rio Grande Ravens at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Los Lunas' favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Rio Grande has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Los Lunas barely beat West Mesa the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Tigers never let the Mustangs get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory on Friday. The Tigers have beaten the Mustangs the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Mustangs has come to flipping the script.
Kaiden Reese
| 04/04/25 vs West Mesa | 11 |
| 05/04/24 @ Albuquerque | 8 |
| 03/14/25 vs Hobbs | 7 |
| 04/12/24 vs Santa Fe | 7 |
| 05/13/24 @ Volcano Vista | 6 |
Kaiden Reese was a major factor no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, JJ Utash was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Jasiah Byers, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Meanwhile, Rio Grande can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Albuquerque.
Rio Grande saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luis Salinas, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Nicholas Cochran also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
The victory got Rio Grande back to even at 8-8. As for Los Lunas, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Los Lunas hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. However, it's not like Rio Grande struggles in that department as they've averaged .338. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Los Lunas came out on top in a nail-biter against Rio Grande in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-2. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Ravens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
