The Hondo Owls will take on the Cotulla Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hondo is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games.
If Hondo beats Cotulla with six runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Owls beat Natalia on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 6-2.
Anthony Garza was incredible, going 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Josiah Quintanilla, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cotulla). Everything went their way against Dilley on Tuesday as they made off with a 25-10 win. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Cowboys with their most commanding win of the season.
Frank Torres made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was even better at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Davyn Deltoro, who scored five runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances. Those five runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Eli Renteria, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances.
Cotulla always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .585. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Hondo pushed their record up to 11-4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Cotulla, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-8-1.
Cotulla's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hondo hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .352. It's a different story for Cotulla, though, as they've only averaged .185. Will they be able to contain Hondo's hitters?
Hondo took their win against Cotulla when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 7-1 score. Do the Owls have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cowboys turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
