The Estancia Bears will challenge the Thoreau Hawks at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Estancia is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.4 runs per game this season.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Estancia nor Pecos made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Bears came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 7-3.
Christopher Rodriguez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hunter Corona, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Joshua Villafuerte, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Thoreau was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They came up short against Zuni, falling 11-3.
Jordan Calladitto was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played.
Thoreau's loss dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Estancia, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-8.
Thoreau's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Estancia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .522. It's a different story for Thoreau, though, as they've only averaged .313. Will they be able to contain Estancia's hitters?
Everything went Estancia's way against Thoreau in their previous matchup back in March, as Estancia made off with a 22-3 win. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
