Baseball Game Preview: Minarets Mustangs vs. Chowchilla Tribe

The Minarets Mustangs will venture away from home to take on the Chowchilla Tribe at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Minarets hasn't scored more than two runs for four games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.

Minarets came up short against Liberty on Friday, falling 11-1.

Meanwhile, Chowchilla won against Caruthers on Tuesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Tribe put the hurt on Dos Palos with a sharp 11-0 win. The Tribe might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.

Dillon Watkins was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Chowchilla is 2-1 when Watkins posts eight or more strikeouts, but 8-11 otherwise. Watkins was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

In other batting news, Tristan Beardsley was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Chowchilla's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 7-11 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Davian Stephenson, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

The victory made it two in a row for Chowchilla and bumps their season record up to 10-12. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Minarets, their loss dropped their record down to 7-14.

Minarets couldn't quite get it done against Chowchilla in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.