The Estancia Bears will venture away from home to take on the Raton Tigers at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Estancia has given up an average of 10.7 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Estancia is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 17 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Hozho Academy on Thursday. They came up short against the Wolves, falling 14-2.
Estancia saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tarin Cantu, who went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Raton came out on top against Tucumcari on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fifth inning. The Tigers blew past the Rattlers 14-4. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
Braylon Walton spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, Raton got a massive performance out of Brayden Decker, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Decker is becoming a predictor of the Tigers' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Warren Berry, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Estancia now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Raton, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Estancia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .419. However, it's not like Raton struggles in that department as they've averaged .342. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Estancia might still be hurting after the 11-5 loss they got from Raton when the teams last played back in April of 2025. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
