The Pioneer Diamondbacks will head out to take on the Roma Gladiators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Pioneer's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Alice on Friday. They had to suffer through a 28-0 loss at the hands of the Coyotes. Considering the last time the Diamondbacks couldn't score was back in August, the team can't take the result too hard.
Meanwhile, Roma entered their game against Port Isabel two weeks ago without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Roma was outmatched by Port Isabel at home and fell 41-14. It was the first time this season that the Gladiators let down their fans at home.
Roma's defeat came about despite a quality game from Eli Garza, who rushed for 86 yards on only seven carries, and also threw for 104 yards on only six passes.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Roma was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 214 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 207 rushing yards in 17 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Pioneer's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 4-3. As for Roma, the defeat snapped their winning streak at three games and leaves them with a 4-2 record.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Pioneer has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 173.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Roma struggles in that department as they've been averaging 275.5. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Pioneer came up short against Roma when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 48-41. Thankfully for Pioneer, Isaac Lozano (who rushed for 285 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 9.5 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
