The Aztec Tigers will head out on the road to face off against the Bloomfield Bobcats at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Thursday, Aztec got the win against Shiprock by a conclusive 16-5. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Chieftains: they've now won four in a row.
Dalton Wilmer
| 04/17/25 @ Shiprock | 9 |
| 04/10/25 vs Miyamura | 6 |
| 03/28/25 vs Montezuma-Cortez | 6 |
Dalton Wilmer made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Cory Douglas was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run and three runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Kale Watson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Aztec always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shiprock only posted an OBP of .333.
Meanwhile, Bloomfield had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Thursday. They blew past the Bengals 13-3. That's two games straight that the Bobcats have won by exactly ten runs.
Trae Woods was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Woods was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Johnny Yates, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Ryan Page, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Bloomfield pushed their record up to 17-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Aztec, their record is now 9-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Aztec has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bloomfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Aztec couldn't quite get it done against Bloomfield in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 9-5. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
