Baseball Game Preview: Bushland Falcons vs. Tulia Hornets

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Previous Games

04/08/25 - Home	3-1 W
03/21/25 - Home	10-1 W
04/19/24 - Home	11-1 W
04/02/24 - Away	28-2 W
04/21/23 - Away	29-0 W
+ 5 more games

Bushland is a perfect 10-0 against Tulia since April of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Falcons are taking a road trip to square off against the Hornets at 4:30 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Bushland is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Dalhart just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Wolves by a score of 7-6.

Reece Melban was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Colton Strickland was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and one double.

Tulia couldn't beat Dalhart on Tuesday even though they stacked eight runs on them in the fifth inning. The Hornets lost 20-11 to the Wolves. The Hornets have struggled against the Wolves recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Jarvis Pestrana stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. He has become a key player for Tulia: the team is 11-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-8-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Xavier Ortiz, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Tulia's defeat dropped their record down to 14-9-1. As for Bushland, their loss dropped their record down to 14-11.

Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bushland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .371. However, it's not like Tulia struggles in that department as they've averaged .333. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Bushland came out on top in a nail-biter against Tulia in their previous meeting two weeks ago, sneaking past 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.