The Santa Rosa Lions will face off against the Oak Grove Classical Academy Owls at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Santa Rosa sitting on 16 straight wins and Oak Grove Classical Academy on three.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Santa Rosa and Tucumcari had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Lions blew past the Rattlers 11-3 last Saturday. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 16 contests by seven runs or more this season.
Daniel Zamora and Landyn Zamora did most of the damage at the plate: Daniel went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and three runs, while Landyn went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Daniel has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Joshua Cordova, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Santa Rosa always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They are a perfect 17-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Oak Grove Classical Academy walked away with it. They walked away with an 8-3 victory over the Hawks on Wednesday.
Isaac Rush made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brody Prochnow, who went 2-for-3 with seven stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.3 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Grayson Grebe, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Santa Rosa's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Oak Grove Classical Academy, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Santa Rosa has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .587. However, it's not like Oak Grove Classical Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .520. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
