The New Deal Lions will square off against the Sunray Bobcats at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
New Deal is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Sundown 19-4. The win was familiar territory for the Lions, who have now won three matches in a row.
Dallas Sumner
| 05/02/25 vs Sundown | 5 |
| 02/24/24 vs Coahoma | 4 |
| 03/25/25 @ Abernathy | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs West Texas | 3 |
| 04/08/25 vs Ralls | 2 |
Dallas Sumner was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tristan Bigham, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Meanwhile, Sunray came tearing into Thursday's contest with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Whirlwinds as they made off with a 13-1 victory.
The team relied heavily on Luke Grajeda, who went 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Azriel Vargas was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Sunray always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Floydada only posted an OBP of .222.
Sunray pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for New Deal, their win bumped their record up to 16-3.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. New Deal has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .514. However, it's not like Sunray struggles in that department as they've averaged .514. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went New Deal's way against Sunray in their previous matchup back in May of 2019, as New Deal made off with a 17-0 victory. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Bobcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
