Baseball Game Preview: Sweeny Bulldogs vs. Smithson Valley Rangers

The Sweeny Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Smithson Valley Rangers at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Sweeny is coming into the game hot, having won their last six games.

If Sweeny beats Smithson Valley with four runs on Saturday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Bulldogs beat Brazosport on Friday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 4-1.

Cale Newsom spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Sweeny let Rooke Samford and Holt Blessing run wild. Samford went a perfect 4-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double, while Blessing scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those four hits gave Samford a new career-high. Zach Beckwith also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

New Braunfels typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Smithson Valley proved too difficult a challenge. They blew past the Unicorns 7-1. The Rangers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by six runs or more this season.

Sweeny's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-8-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Smithson Valley, their record now sits at 13-7.

Everything went Sweeny's way against Smithson Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Sweeny made off with an 11-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.