Baseball Game Preview: Grants Pirates vs. Santa Teresa Desert Warriors

The Grants Pirates will face off against the Santa Teresa Desert Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Grants' pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Santa Teresa's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Grants is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of New Mexico's top teams: Los Lunas, who was ranked 12th at the time (Grants was ranked 22nd). The Pirates lost 8-0 to the Tigers on Friday. The matchup marked the first time this year in which the Pirates were not able to get on the board.

The home team had come away the winner the last five times Santa Teresa and Deming had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Desert Warriors blew past the Wildcats 11-4 on Friday. The Desert Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 contests by seven runs or more this season.

Marcos Rivera spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits.

On the hitting side, Gavin Garcia was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Jackson Simpson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base.

Santa Teresa always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .550. They are a perfect 12-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Grants' loss ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 16-8. As for Santa Teresa, their victory bumped their record up to 18-7.