Baseball Game Preview: Banquete Bulldogs vs. Orange Grove Bulldogs

Banquete will challenge Orange Grove at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

If Banquete beats Orange Grove with seven runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Bulldogs had just enough and edged out San Diego 7-6 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted against the Vaqueros since March 21, 2023.

Justin Ramirez

Batters Struck Out

04/17/25 @ San Diego	7
03/31/25 @ Orange Grove	6
03/25/25 @ Santa Gertrudis Academy	11
02/27/25 vs King	14
02/20/25 vs Falfurrias	8

Banquete got a great performance from Justin Ramirez as he struck out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Ramirez has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time he's pitched this season.

At the plate, Banquete saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Austin Ramirez, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

Orange Grove never got on the board in their matchup last Friday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Santa Gertrudis Academy on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Lions with a sharp 10-2 win. The Bulldogs have beaten the Lions the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Lions has come to flipping the script.

Zach Wright was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, Linden Rodriguez was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Matthew Martinez was another key player, earning three runs and two stolen bases.

Orange Grove's victory bumped their record up to 13-8-1. As for Banquete, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-9-1.