The Heritage Patriots will take on the Redwood Giants at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Redwood will be up against a hot Heritage team: the squad just extended their winning streak to six. The Patriots never let Deer Valley get on the board and left with a 23-0 win on Tuesday. That 23 run margin sets a new team best for the Patriots this season.
JZ McArthur
| 04/08/25 vs Deer Valley | 4 |
| 02/25/25 @ Tokay | 3 |
| 04/05/25 vs El Camino | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Bear Creek | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Kimball | 2 |
JZ McArthur was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. McArthur was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cooper Melissare and Aidan Rangel did most of the damage at the plate: Melissare scored three runs while going 2-for-2, while Rangel went 1-for-2 with four RBI and two runs. Those four RBI gave Rangel a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jett Guevara, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Heritage kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Redwood had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Wildcats. That's two games straight that the Giants have won by exactly seven runs.
Matthew Knauer looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Redwood: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one hit, but 4-5-1 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Theo Trono, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Redwood's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5-1 when he doesn't). Miles Harrison was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Redwood's victory bumped their record up to 7-5-1. As for Heritage, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Heritage has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Redwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Heritage couldn't quite get it done against Redwood in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 4-1. Can the Patriots avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
