The Rio Grande City Rattlers will face off against the Ray Texans at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Rio Grande City will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Last Friday, Rio Grande City got the win against Roma by a conclusive 9-1.
Hiram Lopez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Aaron Benavidez was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Dante Flores also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Rio Grande City kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ray, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They walked away with a 7-3 win over Gregory-Portland on Monday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
LUCAS TINAJERO and XZAIDEN DEANDA did most of the damage at the plate: TINAJERO went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while DEANDA went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of DOMINIC SOLIZ, who went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Ray is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Rio Grande City, their record now sits at 14-10.
Rio Grande City skirted past Ray 3-2 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Rattlers repeat their success, or do the Texans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
