The Sonora Raiders are taking a road trip to square off against the Esperanza Aztecs at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Sonora sitting on three straight wins and Esperanza on four.
Sonora had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Oxford Academy on Friday. The Raiders blew past the Patriots 8-2. While the Raiders didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Robby Blaine tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
Anthony Escamilla
| 03/28/25 vs Oxford Academy | 3 |
| 03/18/25 @ McQueen | 2 |
| 04/17/24 vs Troy | 2 |
| 02/26/25 vs El Toro | 1 |
| 04/12/24 @ Fullerton | 1 |
On the hitting side, Anthony Escamilla was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Luke Crowder was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Sonora was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Esperanza was able to grind out a solid victory over Troy on Wednesday, taking the game 6-1.
Grady Warner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Esperanza is 4-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Adam Tway, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Esperanza now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Sonora, their record now sits at 8-5.
Sonora couldn't quite get it done against Esperanza when the teams last played back in February of 2022 as they fell 8-3. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
