For the second straight game, MacArthur will face off against Aldine. The Generals will challenge the Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
MacArthur is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Aldine just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They came up short against the Mustangs, falling 15-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Generals have suffered since February 28th.
For Aldine's part, Raul Careaga made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Careaga was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alberto Gonzalez, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Orlando Reyes, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Aldine kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive matchups.
Aldine is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for MacArthur, their loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 10-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. MacArthur has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Aldine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
