Baseball Recap: Leland Comes Up Short

Leland extended their losing streak to three on Friday, dropping their season record down to 7-17 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 4-2 heartbreaker at the hands of the Willow Glen Rams. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Rams this season, with their most recent defeat being a 4-0 loss on Wednesday.

Sam Mao

Earned Runs

03/05/25 @ Los Altos	7
04/12/25 @ Santa Clara	6
04/30/25 @ Branham	4
04/04/25 @ Leigh	4
03/26/25 @ Christopher	2
+ 3 more games

Sam Mao spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits. He has become a key player for Leland: the team is 5-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-15 otherwise.

As for Willow Glen, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-6 record this season. Four seems to be a good number for they as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.

On Willow Glen's side, Tyson Paganini and Nolan Wirtz dominated on the mound. Paganini pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits, while Wirtz tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, Wirtz posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.

At the plate, Willow Glen's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Austin Korba, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Korba has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Leland will challenge Archbishop Mitty at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Monarchs will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last. As for Willow Glen, they will square off against Westmont at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The timing is sure in the Rams' favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while the Warriors have been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.