Casa Grande is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Petaluma is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Gauchos will welcome the Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Casa Grande 1.8, Petaluma 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Casa Grande's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Sonoma Valley by a score of 3-0. The Gauchos haven't had any issues with the Dragons recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Danny Mercado
| 04/17/25 @ Sonoma Valley | 15 |
| 03/27/24 vs Woodcreek | 11 |
| 04/02/25 @ Campolindo | 10 |
| 03/21/24 vs Napa | 8 |
| 03/01/25 vs Tamalpais | 7 |
Danny Mercado made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. Those 15 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Mercado wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Miles Nicholas, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Petaluma came out on top against Vintage on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run third inning. The Trojans took their game against the Crushers 10-6.
Like Casa Grande, Petaluma also got a great game from a two-way player: Arlo Pendleton. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Pendleton has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, August Cuneo was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Aiden Jones was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Petaluma was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Vintage only posted a batting average of .226.
Petaluma's victory bumped their record up to 14-1. As for Casa Grande, their win bumped their record up to 14-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Casa Grande has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Petaluma struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Casa Grande skirted past Petaluma 2-0 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Do the Gauchos have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Trojans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
