Baseball Game Preview: Dora Coyotes vs. Melrose Buffaloes

Dora is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Thursday. They will face off against the Melrose Buffaloes at 2:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Dora saw some tournament action on Saturday. They lost 24-6 to Grady. The Coyotes haven't had much luck with the Bronchos recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Roddy Neal made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Carson Kircher was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Meanwhile, Melrose came up short against Santa Rosa on Tuesday, falling 27-11.

Josh Roybal and Josiah Roybal stepped up to the plate in a big way. Josh scored three runs while going 2-for-3, while Josiah scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Josh has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Nolan Devaney, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Even though they lost, Melrose was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive contests.

Melrose's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Dora, they now have a losing record of 1-2.

Melrose's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Dora has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 13.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Melrose, though, as they've been averaging 11.2 hits. Given Dora's sizable advantage in that area, Melrose will need to find a way to close that gap.

Dora might still be hurting after the 37-4 loss they got from Melrose in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Can Dora avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.