Melrose has gone 8-2 against Floyd recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Buffaloes will be playing at home against the Broncos at 2:00 p.m. Melrose knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past six matchups -- so hopefully Floyd likes a good challenge.
Melrose made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Tucumcari, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Buffaloes were the clear victors by a 17-3 margin over the Rattlers on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Buffaloes, who have now won three contests by 14 runs or more so far this season.
Josiah Roybal
| 04/03/25 vs Tucumcari | 9 |
| 03/27/25 vs Dora | 8 |
| 04/05/24 vs Tularosa | 5 |
| 03/30/24 vs Capitan | 5 |
| 04/19/24 vs Cimarron | 4 |
Josiah Roybal made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Melrose's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Cy Draper was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Briar Larson, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Melrose kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Floyd was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their 16th straight loss dating back to last season. They came up short against Gateway Christian, falling 18-0.
Adan Nieto made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game. David Melendez also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
Floyd's defeat dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Melrose, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Floyd's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Melrose hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .372. It's a different story for Floyd, though, as they've only averaged .197. Will they be able to contain Melrose's hitters?
Everything went Melrose's way against Floyd in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, as Melrose made off with a 24-5 win. Will the Buffaloes repeat their success, or do the Broncos have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
