The Calhoun Sandcrabs will take on the Mathis Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Calhoun lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Jones, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's game. The Sandcrabs were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Trojans on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Sandcrabs have posted against the Trojans since April 11, 2022.
Demetrio Rodriguez made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Angel Morales, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Layten Rodriguez, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Calhoun always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jones only posted an OBP of .353.
Meanwhile, Mathis beat Aransas Pass 7-3 on Friday. The Pirates haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Like Calhoun, Mathis also got a great game from a two-way player: Jozaih Gutierrez. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Gutierrez also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Mathis is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-13 otherwise. Gutierrez was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Mathis got a massive performance out of EJ Montemayor, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, two stolen bases, and two RBI. That home run was Montemayor's first of the season. Jaden Coronado was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-3.
The victory made it two in a row for Calhoun and bumps their season record up to 11-12-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Mathis, their victory bumped their record up to 7-14.
