The Dawson Eagles will head out to square off against the Manvel Mavericks at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Dawson is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Dawson is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Alvin just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 7-4 to the Yellowjackets.
Bennett Schnee was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits.
On the hitting side, Maddox Botas made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jack Dyment, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Manvel had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past the Cougars 13-3. Considering the Mavericks have won eight games by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Jacob Jimenez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
In other pitching news, Jesus Merlo looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Alexis Garcia was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Reece Johnson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first doubles of the season.
Manvel's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Dawson, their loss dropped their record down to 14-8.
Everything went Dawson's way against Manvel when the teams last played back in March of 2020, as Dawson made off with a 13-0 win. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Mavericks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
