The Cotulla Cowboys are taking a road trip to challenge the Dilley Wolves at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cotulla has given up an average of 8 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Cotulla came into their game on Friday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Crystal City, falling 12-5. Cowboys fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Javelinas since on Friday.
Cotulla saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eric Aldaco, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Trevor Rodriguez also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Dilley hadn't done well against Natalia recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Dilley had just enough and edged out Natalia 4-3. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.
Jesse Hernadez was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Dilley's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Johnny Rodriguez, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Lambert, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Dilley's win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 9-5. As for Cotulla, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight games. That's still a better percentage than their 2-8-1 record this season.
Cotulla took their victory against Dilley when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0. Does Cotulla have another victory up their sleeve, or will Dilley turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
