Rio Grande is 2-8 against Volcano Vista since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. It'll be a Battle of the Birds when Rio Grande Ravens challenge Volcano Vista Hawks at 6:00 p.m. Rio Grande is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Rio Grande is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 13-9 victory over Manzano on Tuesday.
Rio Grande got a big performance out of Andrew Salas, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Salas a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Luis Salinas, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Volcano Vista faced Eldorado in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. Volcano Vista came out on top against Eldorado by a score of 5-2. Winning may never get old, but the Hawks sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Aaron Sanchez spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up seven Ks. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero).
At the plate, Volcano Vista let Aiden Gonzales and Andres Holguin run wild. Gonzales went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run, while Holguin scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. That stolen base marked the first that Holguin snagged this season. Evan Tafoya was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-1.
Volcano Vista kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in three consecutive games.
Rio Grande has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. Volcano Vista's victory bumped their record up to 10-5.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rio Grande hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .363. However, it's not like Volcano Vista struggles in that department as they've averaged .320. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rio Grande came up short against Volcano Vista in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 9-6. Can Rio Grande avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
