Lovington is 6-1 against Ruidoso since March of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Lovington Wildcats will look to defend their home field against the Ruidoso Warriors at 4:00 p.m. Lovington is out to stop a six-game streak of losses at home.
Last Saturday, Lovington got themselves on the board against Los Alamos, but Los Alamos never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Hilltoppers with a sharp 10-0 win. The victory was just what Lovington needed coming off of a 13-2 defeat in their prior match.
The result came thanks to Ethan Gonzales's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Mika Pando was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Camon Ochoa, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Ruidoso came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Fighting Colts by a score of 11-7.
Carson Straton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Straton was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Joel Ortega and Gabriel Johnson did most of the damage at the plate: Ortega went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Johnson scored three runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-5. Ortega is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. Trenton Hall was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Lovington has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 3-9 record this season. As for Ruidoso, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lovington has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ruidoso struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lovington took their victory against Ruidoso in their previous meeting back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 9-1. Does Lovington have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ruidoso turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
