Pinewood hasn't had much luck against Summit Shasta recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Panthers will welcome the Black Bears at 4:00 p.m. Summit Shasta took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Pinewood, who comes in off a win.
Pinewood's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. Everything went their way against KIPP San Jose Collegiate as they made off with a 16-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Wolfpack: they've now won eight in a row.
Zaiden Saberi and Bill Cui made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Saberi struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Cui pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Saberi scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3, while Cui scored two runs and stole four bases while going 4-for-4. With that strong performance, Cui is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Xavier Schlough was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing five bases while going 1-for-3. Those runs marked the first that he scored this season. Another player making a difference was Allan Skelley, who scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Summit Shasta fell victim to Lincoln and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 10-0 to the Mustangs. The Black Bears' loss continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Summit Shasta saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caden Frost, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Summit Shasta's defeat dropped their record down to 5-7. As for Pinewood, their win bumped their record up to 2-6.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pinewood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .317. However, it's not like Summit Shasta struggles in that department as they've averaged .316. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pinewood might still be hurting after the 13-1 loss they got from Summit Shasta in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
