Baseball Game Preview: Sonora Raiders vs. Esperanza Aztecs

For the second straight game, Sonora will face off against Esperanza. The Raiders will welcome the Aztecs at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Sonora's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Esperanza's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Sonora will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Friday, then bounced right back against Esperanza on Monday. The Raiders were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Aztecs. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Raiders' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Robby Blaine spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Sonora let Jacob Vasquez and Ryan Lietzau run wild. Vasquez went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Lietzau got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs Vasquez has posted since back in April. Brandon Leal was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.

Sonora pushed their record up to 16-10 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Esperanza, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-13.