Baseball Game Preview: Lemoore Tigers vs. Tulare Western Mustangs

Lemoore and Tulare Western are an even 4-4 against one another since March of 2023, but likely not for long. The Tigers will challenge the Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The last five games Lemoore has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

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

Ian Snell

Batters Struck Out

05/07/25 @ Dinuba	15
04/30/25 vs Tulare Union	13
03/21/25 @ Tulare Union	11
04/23/25 @ Hanford	10
04/04/25 @ Dinuba	10
+ 4 more games

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. Lemoore is 5-1 when Snell posts eight or more strikeouts, but 8-10 otherwise.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Drake Varela, who went 1-for-3 with four stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Lemoore: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 10-11 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Tristan Puga, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and one run.

Hanford hit Tulare Western with a four-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of 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.

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

Lemoore couldn't quite get it done against Tulare Western when the teams last played back in April as they fell 3-0. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.