The Union Mine Diamondbacks will head out on the road to face off against the Ponderosa Bruins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Union Mine lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Calaveras, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's contest. Everything went Union Mine's way against Calaveras on Wednesday as Union Mine made off with a 13-3 win. That ten run margin sets a new team best for the Diamondbacks this season.
Andrew Schurmann
Andrew Schurmann made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and not a single walk). He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Union Mine is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 1-2 otherwise. Schurmann was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Matt Manfredi, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5. Ian Enders also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Union Mine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. The last time their batting average was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Ponderosa put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 22-1 margin over Foresthill. While the Bruins didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-23), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Like Union Mine, Ponderosa also got a great game from a two-way player: Joe Stevens. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Stevens was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Ponderosa got a big performance out of Max Baumgartner, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Josiah Fajardo, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Ponderosa's victory was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Union Mine, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Union Mine has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ponderosa struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Union Mine suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Ponderosa when the teams last played back in May of 2019. Can Union Mine avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
