The Sunray Bobcats are taking a road trip to take on the New Deal Lions at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Sunray is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Floydada as they made off with a 13-1 victory. The win was familiar territory for the Bobcats, who have now won seven matchups in a row.
Luke Grajeda was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Azriel Vargas, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Sunray kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask New Deal). They put the hurt on Sundown with a sharp 19-4 victory on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
The team relied heavily on Dallas Sumner, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and five RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Tristan Bigham, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
New Deal has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-3 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Sunray, their win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-4.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Sunray has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .514. However, it's not like New Deal 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.
Sunray suffered a grim 17-0 defeat to New Deal when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Can the Bobcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
