The Jake, Hobbs, NM — The Southwest Mustangs brought the bats, the arms, and all the hustle in a dominant three-game sweep over Jarvis Christian, capping off a statement weekend that saw them score 44 runs, rack up 45 hits, and showcase their depth from top to bottom.
Game 1 (Friday DH Game 1): Olivas Shines in the Opener, Mustangs Win 6–1
The series kicked off with a gem on the mound from M. Olivas, who tossed a complete-game, 7-inning masterpiece. Olivas allowed just one earned run on four hits, striking out six and walking none in a 6–1 win.
Offensively, the Mustangs got things going late, with B. Ledezma driving in three runs on two doubles. D. Amaya and H. Woods set the table with four hits combined, while A. Montiel went 2-for-3 and helped turn double plays on defense. B. Cardozo came through off the bench with a pinch-hit RBI single to pad the lead.
Game 2 (Friday DH Game 2): Southwest Closes the Door With a 13–3 Win
In game two of the series, the Mustangs rode a offensive outburst to a 13–3 victory. They pounded out 12 hits, drew 8 walks, and hit two home runs to slam the door shut on Jarvis.
M. Gonzales led the charge with a 3-for-4 day that included a home run and 3 RBIs. D. Amaya launched a homer of his own and drove in two, while A. Montiel added 3 RBIs with a bases-loaded hit. B. Ledezma remained consistent behind the dish, collecting two hits and throwing out two base runners.
On the mound, J. Martin and A. Rios combined to allow just three runs over eight innings, with Rios finishing the game with four scoreless frames.
Game 3 (Saturday): Historic Explosion—Southwest Drops 25 on Jarvis
The Mustangs exploded on Saturday morning, plating 25 runs on 23 hits in a wild 7-inning slugfest. They scored in every inning, including eight in the second and six more in the sixth.
C. Miller went 3-for-6 with 3 RBIs and a triple, while H. Woods added three hits of his own, including a double and triple. B. Cardozo crushed a home run and drove in two. Even the bench made noise, with A. Morrison, D. Martinez, and E. Torres all contributing in pinch-hit appearances.
Starter T. Ruiz got plenty of support and pitched solidly, holding Jarvis to just one earned run. The Mustangs also stole four bases, turned multiple double plays, and outworked Jarvis in every facet of the game.
Coach Appel's Take: "We Got Our Confidence Back"
After the series, Head Coach Steve Appel praised his team's resilience and all-around performance:
"I thought we played good baseball all weekend. We knew we had to have a good weekend to keep up in the mix of things and they responded well. We made some nice offensive adjustments in the first game against their best arm and I think it paid off well all weekend as we gained our confidence back. We had good pitching and played good defense all weekend. It's always nice to not allow free bases and have limited errors all weekend."
Appel also looked ahead with optimism:
"We now have an off weekend from conference and will play a four-game non-conference set with a good ball club from Arizona. We will get some guys healthy this upcoming week and get ready for the last 9 games of the conference season. Hopefully these guys are ready to play their best baseball in the last month. A lot of things can still happen if these guys continue to work their tails off."
