Baseball Preview: Hot Springs Tigers vs. Zuni Thunderbirds
Hot Springs has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will challenge the Zuni Thunderbirds at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Hot Springs is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Hot Springs pushed their score all the way to 11 on Friday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell just short of Grady by a score of 13-11.
Max Legarda led a balanced group of hitters, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, a run, and a double. The team also got some help courtesy of Billy Baca, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Hot Springs didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Zuni got the win against Wingate on Tuesday by a conclusive 8-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Zuni.
Tommy Boone looked comfortable as he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, Zuni let Terrance Smith and Keanu Laweka loose on the outfield. Smith scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Laweka scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-3. Laweka has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played. Another player making a difference was Myron Yuselew, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-3.
Hot Springs' defeat was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Zuni, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Friday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hot Springs has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .441. However, it's not like Zuni struggles in that department as they've averaged .610. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
