The Esperanza Aztecs will take on the Sonora Raiders at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Esperanza comes in on four and Sonora on three.
On Wednesday, Esperanza beat Troy 6-1.
Grady Warner
| 02/24/25 @ Laguna Beach | 7 |
| 03/08/25 vs Brea Olinda | 4 |
| 03/15/25 vs Savanna | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Calvary Chapel | 2 |
| 03/24/25 @ Sunny Hills | 1 |
Grady Warner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Esperanza is 4-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Adam Tway was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
While Sonora didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over Oxford Academy on Friday. The Raiders not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since February 26th.
Robby Blaine tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Anthony Escamilla, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Luke Crowder, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Sonora was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Esperanza's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-7. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Sonora, their victory bumped their record up to 8-5.
Esperanza was able to grind out a solid win over Sonora in their previous matchup back in February of 2022, winning 8-3. Will the Aztecs repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
