Baseball Game Preview: Natalia Mustangs vs. Lytle Pirates

Natalia hasn't had much luck against Lytle recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Mustangs will welcome the Pirates at 7:00 p.m.

Natalia made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Hondo, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Mustangs fell just short of the Owls by a score of 3-1 on Tuesday. Having soared to a lofty 18 runs in the game before, the Mustangs couldn't push the score so high this time.

Meanwhile, Lytle waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They blew past the Javelinas 11-2. That's two games straight that the Pirates have won by exactly nine runs.

Toby Davila made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.

In other batting news, Damien Barco was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Seth Pierce, who went 2-for-3 with two runs.

Lytle 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 11 hits in four consecutive games.

Natalia's loss dropped their record down to 7-9. As for Lytle, their victory bumped their record up to 17-6-1.

Natalia suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to Lytle when the teams last played back in April of 2025. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.