The Hoover Cardinals will take on the Crawford Colts at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hoover has given up an average of 13 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Lincoln hit Hoover with a four-run second inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cardinals came up short against the Hornets, falling 13-4. The Cardinals have struggled against the Hornets recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost meeting.
Meanwhile, Crawford hadn't done well against Mount Miguel recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Colts came out on top in a nail-biter against the Matadors, sneaking past 6-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Colts.
Alejandro Guzman made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. He has become a key player for Crawford: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 7-10 otherwise.
In other batting news, Abraham Carillo-Ceron was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Crawford is 7-1 when Carillo-Ceron posts two or more runs, but 4-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ramon Perez, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI.
The win got Crawford back to even at 11-11. As for Hoover, their loss dropped their record down to 1-20.
Hoover took their victory against Crawford when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. Do the Cardinals have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Colts turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
