The Carmel Padres will square off against the Rancho Cotate Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Carmel is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Carmel is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Morro Bay get on the board and left with a 9-0 victory. Considering the Padres have won 12 contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Matt Maxon was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Bo Lewis, who went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Carmel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .467. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Morro Bay only posted a batting average of .136.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rancho Cotate, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They came out on top against Kingsburg by a score of 7-2 on Tuesday.
Camden Henington spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Luke Morie, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was Marshall Lemons, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Rancho Cotate's win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 17-13. As for Carmel, their victory bumped their record up to 21-10.
Rancho Cotate's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Carmel hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. It's a different story for Rancho Cotate, though, as they've only averaged .224. Will they be able to contain Carmel's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
