The Raton Tigers will head out to challenge the Eunice Cardinals at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Raton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past McCurdy 11-10.
Azden Romero
| 04/29/25 @ Clayton | 5 |
| 05/07/25 vs McCurdy | 4 |
| 04/08/25 vs Estancia | 4 |
| 03/21/25 vs Mora | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs Mora | 3 |
| + 10 more games |
Raton let Camron Edmondson and Azden Romero run wild. Edmondson went 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Romero went 2-for-4 with four runs, two RBI, and one double. Romero is becoming a predictor of Raton's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 8-2 (and 3-9 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, Eunice entered their tilt with Texico last Saturday with eight consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with nine. They blew past the Wolverines 20-4. Considering the Cardinals have won 13 matches by more than six runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Fernando Serna and Haziel Goitia made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Serna didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Goitia pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Serna has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. At the plate, Serna got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Goitia went a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave Goitia a new career-high.
In other batting news, Eunice got a massive performance out of Jose Calvillo, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Tyson Coy was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Eunice always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Texico only posted an OBP of .333.
Eunice pushed their record up to 18-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Raton, the victory got them back to even at 11-11.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Raton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .339. However, it's not like Eunice struggles in that department as they've averaged .352. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Raton might still be hurting after the 14-4 defeat they got from Eunice when the teams last played back in March of 2019. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
