The Bisbee Pumas will face off against the Ray Bearcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Bisbee sitting on five straight wins and Ray on three.
Bisbee proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by six) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Sahuaro 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Pumas have posted since April 2, 2024.
Bryan Martinez
| 03/13/25 vs Sahuaro | 6 |
| 03/06/25 vs San Manuel | 10 |
| 02/27/25 vs Fountain Hills | 8 |
Bryan Martinez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on two hits and racked up six Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaxxon Alvarez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Bryceton Meyer, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Ray won against San Miguel on Thursday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Ray walked away with a 5-2 win over Tombstone.
James Ruiz was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. Xavier Granillo also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Bisbee's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for Ray, their win bumped their record up to 3-6.
Ray's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bisbee hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .343. It's a different story for Ray, though, as they've only averaged .241. Will they be able to contain Bisbee's hitters?
Everything went Bisbee's way against Ray in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, as Bisbee made off with a 14-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Bisbee since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
