The Malakoff Tigers are taking a road trip to face off against the Mineola Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Malakoff has six straight victories, Mineola has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Malakoff came out on top against Eustace on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fifth inning. The Tigers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Bulldogs a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Tigers have won 11 contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Malakoff got a great performance from Ryker James as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over five innings pitched. James has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 12 consecutive appearances.
Cooper Stegall
| 03/31/26 vs Eustace | 2 |
| 03/30/26 @ Eustace | 1 |
| 02/17/26 @ Teague | 1 |
| 03/21/25 @ Palestine | 1 |
At the plate, Malakoff let Cooper Stegall and Ace Anding run wild. Stegall went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles, while Anding went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Stegall a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Wallace, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Malakoff was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .312 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Mineola came up short against Quitman on Tuesday and fell 5-2.
Matthew Ballew was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Ballew was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Ballew wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Carson Threlkeld, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Malakoff's record now sits at 15-4-3. As for Mineola, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-5-1.
Malakoff couldn't quite get it done against Mineola in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 as they fell 7-3. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
