Baseball Game Preview: El Capitan Gauchos vs. Merced Bears

For the second straight game, El Capitan will face off against Merced. The Gauchos are taking a road trip to take on the Bears at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. El Capitan is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.

On Wednesday, El Capitan beat Merced 8-3. The victory continues a trend for the Gauchos in their matchups with the Bears: they've now won six in a row.

Camden Peterson made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cade Ivy, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one triple. That triple was his first of the season. Braylen Centeno was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple.

El Capitan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Merced only managed five hits.

El Capitan pushed their record up to 16-9-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Merced, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost ten of their last 11 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-18 record this season.

Merced's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: El Capitan hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Merced, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain El Capitan's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.