The Tularosa Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Robertson Cardinals at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. Tularosa will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Tularosa is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over Ruidoso. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Daniel Yuzos spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tularosa saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hunter Sewell, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Ayden Esquero was another, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Five must be Robertson's lucky number: they beat Santa Fe Indian with that score not once but twice two weeks ago. The Cardinals beat the Braves by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-4. The win continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Braves: they've now won four in a row.
Robertson also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Diego Maez gave up just two earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits.
At the plate, Brenen Deisler was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Brian Lucero, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Tularosa's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 18-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Robertson, their record now sits at 15-6.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Tularosa has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .455. However, it's not like Robertson struggles in that department as they've averaged .452. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tularosa might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Robertson when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
