Merced hasn't had much luck against Atwater recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Bears will face off against the Falcons at 4:00 p.m. Merced is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
Merced's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They came out on top against Golden Valley by a score of 5-0. That's two games straight that the Bears have won by exactly five runs.
Bryce Jimenez
| 04/10/26 @ Templeton | 5 |
| 03/20/26 vs El Capitan | 5 |
| 03/27/26 vs Los Banos | 4 |
| 03/31/26 vs Sunnyside | 2 |
Bryce Jimenez made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Merced is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 3-15 otherwise. Jimenez was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Conner Vitelli was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Vicente Cortez was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Atwater, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They skirted past Edison 8-6.
The team relied heavily on Logan Sanchez, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Andres Reyna, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Merced's record is now 6-15. As for Atwater, their record now sits at 16-5-1.
Merced might still be hurting after the 7-0 loss they got from Atwater in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
