Dilley came into Thursday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They won by a run and slipped past the Natalia Mustangs 5-4. The win was just what Dilley needed coming off of a 10-4 defeat in their prior match.
Jesse Hernadez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Hernadez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Johnny Rodriguez was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. Seth Cano was another key contributor, going 1-for-4 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI.
On Natalia's side, Leo Buentello was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Buentello is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Luis Buentello, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Natalia didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 17 strikeouts. That's the most strikeouts they've managed all season.
Dilley's victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-10. As for Natalia, their loss dropped their record down to 16-5.
Dilley is on the road again on Tuesday to play Cotulla at 6:00 p.m. Dilley is facing Cotulla at the right time seeing as Cotulla is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for Natalia, they have the luxury of staying home for another game and will welcome Hondo at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Natalia is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
