The Estancia Bears will take on the Raton Tigers at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Thursday, Estancia made easy work of Thoreau and carried off a 12-2 victory. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Justin Rubio
| 04/24/25 vs Thoreau | 6 |
| 04/17/25 vs Penasco | 7 |
| 03/22/25 vs Thoreau | 7 |
Justin Rubio made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Estancia let Joshua Villafuerte and Michael Anaya run wild. Villafuerte got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs, while Anaya went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most runs Villafuerte has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Dominic Seecamp, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
Estancia kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are 4-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Raton, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They blew past Tucumcari 20-10 on Monday.
The team relied heavily on Chase Middlebrook, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three doubles, and four RBI. Chris Ortega was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
Raton is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Estancia, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-8.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Estancia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .395. However, it's not like Raton struggles in that department as they've averaged .345. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Estancia might still be hurting after the 16-7 defeat they got from Raton in their previous meeting on April 8th. Will the Bears 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.
