Baseball Game Preview: Yuma Criminals vs. Cortez Colts

The Yuma Criminals will square off against the Cortez Colts at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Yuma's favor as the squad sits on 12 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Cortez has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.

On Monday, Yuma got the win against Westview by a conclusive 12-2. The Criminals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by seven runs or more this season.

Juan Ayala

Hits Against

04/14/25 vs Westview	1
04/08/25 @ Dysart	1
04/02/25 vs Coronado	2

Juan Ayala tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaime Ruelas, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Alonzo Fierro, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.

Yuma always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .655. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Cortez came up short against La Joya Community on Saturday, falling 12-3.

Yuma has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-5-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Cortez, their loss dropped their record down to 4-15-1.

Cortez's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Yuma has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Cortez, though, as they've been averaging 9.1 hits. Given Yuma's sizable advantage in that area, the Colts will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.