Baseball Game Preview: Bland Tigers vs. Celeste Blue Devils

The Bland Tigers will take on the Celeste Blue Devils at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Bland will be strutting in after a win while Celeste will be coming in after a defeat.

Bland took a 15-run loss the last time they faced off against Saltillo, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Tigers had just enough and edged out the Lions 8-7. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Tigers as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.

Alex Jimenez made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.

Max Rodriguez

Stolen Base

04/08/25 vs Saltillo	1
04/08/25 vs Saltillo	1
04/01/25 vs Wolfe City	1
03/25/25 vs Sulphur Bluff	2
03/21/25 @ Campbell	1
03/18/25 vs Campbell	1

In other batting news, Max Rodriguez was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was Dakota Blankenship, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Celeste entered their matchup against North Hopkins on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Blue Devils lost 17-4 to the Panthers. The Blue Devils have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Bland's win bumped their record up to 4-12. As for Celeste, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-3-1.