Albuquerque has won three straight games at home, while Atrisco Heritage Academy has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Bulldogs will host the Jaguars at 3:30 p.m. Albuquerque is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.6 runs per game this season.
Albuquerque is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Los Lunas, who was ranked 11th at the time (Albuquerque was ranked 23rd). The Bulldogs fell 8-3 to the Tigers on Tuesday. The Bulldogs' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Naiyoki Wright made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Atrisco Heritage Academy got themselves on the board against Rio Grande on Tuesday, but Rio Grande never followed suit. They blew past the Ravens 16-0. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by ten runs or more this season.
Melanie MacIas made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Juliana Hernandez was incredible, firing off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Larissa Morinia was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Atrisco Heritage Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. They are a perfect 13-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Atrisco Heritage Academy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Albuquerque, their loss dropped their record down to 14-9.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Albuquerque hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Atrisco Heritage Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Albuquerque came up short against Atrisco Heritage Academy when the teams last played two weeks ago, falling 8-5. Will the Bulldogs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
