The Manvel Mavericks will square off against the Sam Rayburn Texans at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Manvel will be strutting in after a victory while Sam Rayburn will be coming in after a defeat.
Manvel's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 15-0 margin over South Houston. The Mavericks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by seven runs or more this season.
Mariah Lantz looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, Karsyn Carrier was a standout: she got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Carley Williams was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Manvel always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .958. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Sam Rayburn fell victim to Alvin and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Yellowjackets, falling 15-0. The loss continues a trend for the Texans in their meetings with the Yellowjackets: they've now lost five in a row.
Sam Rayburn saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Valerie Torres, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one double.
Sam Rayburn's defeat dropped their record down to 3-9. As for Manvel, their win bumped their record up to 7-5.
Sam Rayburn's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manvel has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .541. It's a different story for Sam Rayburn, though, as they've only averaged .313. Will they be able to contain Manvel's hitters?
Manvel took their victory against Sam Rayburn in their previous meeting back in April of 2015 by a conclusive 13-3. Does Manvel have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sam Rayburn turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
