Preview: Raton Tigers vs. Capital Jaguars
The Raton Tigers will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Capital Jaguars at 3:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Raton was handed a ten-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn't let that bad energy affect their game against Portales on Saturday. Raton had just enough and edged Portales out 9-7. The win was just what Raton needed coming off of a 13-3 defeat in their prior matchup.
Haydyn Middlebrook spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and five unearned) runs on seven hits.
At the plate, Giana Marez was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with a home run, three runs, and two RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last seven times she's played. Brooklyn Marquez was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Capital had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Saturday. Everything went their way against the Pirates as they made off with a 17-2 victory. Capital might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won four matches by ten runs or more this season.
Isabella Hernandez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hernandez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Layla Toya, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, eight RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Brooke Salazar, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.
Raton has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Capital, their win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-6.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Raton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like Capital struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Raton might still be hurting after the 24-9 loss they got from Capital in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Thankfully for Raton, Athena Grimley (who got on base in four of her six plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and a double) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
