Casa Grande is on a four-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Casa Grande Gauchos will welcome the Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory Fightin' Irish at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Casa Grande 2.2, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory 1.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Casa Grande had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Analy on Tuesday. Everything went Casa Grande's way against Analy as Casa Grande made off with a 15-7 victory. With that win, the Gauchos brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
Danny Mercado made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Those five hits gave him a new career-high.
Ryan Rice
| 03/11/25 @ Analy | 3 |
| 04/06/24 @ Clayton Valley Charter | 1 |
| 04/02/24 @ American Canyon | 1 |
| 03/19/24 @ Napa | 1 |
| 02/21/24 @ Tamalpais | 1 |
In other batting news, Ryan Rice was incredible, going 2-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and four RBI. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases. Ian Flores was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Casa Grande was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory won against El Camino on Saturday with four runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory had just enough and edged out Burlingame 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Fightin' Irish have posted since April 16, 2024.
PJ Vigo looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rohan Kahns, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Casa Grande's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Casa Grande has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Casa Grande suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory when the teams last played back in April of 2019. Will Casa Grande have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
