The Rosemead Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Rowland Raiders at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rosemead has given up an average of 7.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Rosemead is headed into Saturday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Tuesday. They came up short against Garfield, falling 12-1.
Rosemead saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lucas Mojica, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI. That RBI marked the first that Mojica brought in this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rowland). They blew past Excelsior Charter 16-2 on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Raiders with their most commanding win of the season.
CJ Carrillo and Derek Salazar were a major factor while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Carrillo tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Salazar tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he gave up only two walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. At bat, Carrillo got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two runs, while Salazar scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Noah Sandez, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. Juan Cervantes was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while going 2-for-4.
Rowland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Excelsior Charter only managed ten hits.
The victory made it two in a row for Rowland and bumps their season record up to 4-7. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Rosemead, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Rosemead skirted past Rowland 4-3 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Does Rosemead have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rowland turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
