Edcouch-Elsa had lost seven straight on the road, but on Thursday they dropped down to 5-16 to make it eight. They came up short against the Mercedes Tigers, falling 10-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Tigers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 9-4 on Tuesday.
Josue Guel was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Anthony Reyes was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
As for Mercedes, the victory was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 13-8. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games.
On Mercedes' side, Luis Rincon made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those 11 strikeouts gave Rincon a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Mercedes got a massive performance out of Luis Lopez, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Brandon Vega, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Edcouch-Elsa will face off against Lopez at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Lobos have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.21 runs per game on average), something the Yellowjackets will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Mercedes, they will square off against Rivera at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Raiders' pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so the Tigers' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
