The Raymondville Bearkats will challenge the Harlingen Cardinals at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Raymondville is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
Raymondville barely beat Santa Rosa the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Raymondville was the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Santa Rosa on Friday. The Bearkats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by six runs or more this season.
Noel Reta was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
Diego Villegas
| 03/21/25 vs Santa Rosa | 3 |
| 03/08/25 @ Banquete | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Marine Military Academy | 2 |
| 04/29/24 vs Lyford | 2 |
| 04/16/24 @ Zapata | 2 |
In other batting news, Diego Villegas was a standout: he scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jacob Sosa, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and one stolen base.
Raymondville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Harlingen). They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Edinburg 9-7. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 21, 2023, but that streak is no more.
The team relied heavily on Isaiah Gaytan, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Dominic Gonzales was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Harlingen's win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 8-8. As for Raymondville, their victory bumped their record up to 10-6.
Harlingen's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Raymondville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .329. It's a different story for Harlingen, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Raymondville's hitters?
Raymondville suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Harlingen in their previous meeting back in February of 2020. Will Raymondville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
