Baseball Game Preview: Tulare Western Mustangs vs. Lemoore Tigers

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Previous Games

04/11/25 - Home	3-0 W
04/09/25 - Away	0-2 L
05/02/24 - Away	5-6 L
04/30/24 - Home	4-5 L
04/02/24 - Away	7-1 W
+ 3 more games

Tulare Western and Lemoore are an even 4-4 against one another since March of 2023, but likely not for long. The Mustangs will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m.

Hanford hit Tulare Western with a four-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs fell 7-3 to the Bullpups. Mustangs fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Bullpups since on Wednesday.

Chi'El Sanchez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, Lemoore came out on top against Dinuba on Wednesday by a score of 4-2 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).

Ian Snell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. He is becoming a predictor of Lemoore's success: when he posts at least eight strikeouts the team is 5-1 (and 8-10 when he doesn't).

On the hitting side, Drake Varela was incredible, going 1-for-3 with four stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tristan Puga, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and one run.

Tulare Western's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-12-1. As for Lemoore, their win bumped their record up to 13-11.

Tulare Western beat Lemoore 3-0 in their previous meeting back in April. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.