Preview: Rocklin Thunder vs. Casa Grande Gauchos
The Rocklin Thunder will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against the Casa Grande Gauchos at 4:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the pair will really light up the scoreboard.
Rocklin scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 10-1 margin over Ponderosa. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Troy Ueltzen and Jeremiah Barrett dominated on the mound. Ueltzen tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (he also didn't allow any walks), while Barrett tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Grant Munoz, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Tucker Baird was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Casa Grande had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They never let the Grizzlies onto the board and left with a 10-0 win. That ten run margin sets a new team best for Casa Grande this season.
Danny Mercado made a splash while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Mercado has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Mercado was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Jack Hu was excellent, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Jesse Calkin, who scored a run while getting on base in all two of his plate appearances.
Rocklin has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season. As for Casa Grande, their record is now 5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rocklin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Casa Grande struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
