The Montgomery Bears will challenge the Rudder Rangers at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Montgomery took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past College Station 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted since March 1st.
Beckam Whiteside looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero).
On the hitting side, Montgomery saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Drake Cox, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Grant Richardson was another, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Rudder had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They blew past Liberal Arts & Science Academy - Austin 11-3 on Tuesday. The Rangers not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since February 27th.
Jose Ponce made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Rudder is 7-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5-2 otherwise. Ponce was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Rudder got a great performance from Jayden Gonzalez as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Aiden Gray, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Juan Marquez, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Montgomery's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 12-8-2. As for Rudder, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6-2.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Montgomery has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. However, it's not like Rudder struggles in that department as they've averaged .451. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Montgomery's way against Rudder in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Montgomery made off with a 10-0 win. Will Montgomery repeat their success, or does Rudder has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
