vs
| 02/15/20 - Home | 3-5 L |
| 03/16/19 - Neutral | 9-3 W |
| 04/29/17 - Home | 10-12 L |
| 03/04/17 - Neutral | 5-21 L |
| 02/20/16 - Neutral | 10-5 W |
| 03/30/15 - Neutral | 18-3 W |
Port of Los Angeles and Sherman Oaks CES are an even 3-3 against one another since March of 2015, but likely not for long. The Polar Bears will face off against the Knights at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Port of Los Angeles comes in on four and Sherman Oaks CES on eight.
Port of Los Angeles is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Grant 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Polar Bears have posted since March 18th.
Joaquin Guerrero was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024. Jaydan Lamadrid was another key player, earning one RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Sherman Oaks CES won against Arleta on Tuesday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Knights walked away with an 11-7 win over King/Drew. Sherman Oaks CES' victory was all the more impressive since the Golden Eagles were averaging only 3.57 runs allowed on the season.
Nicholas Bilicic made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
In other pitching news, Garrett Arch looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Colin Hauser, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. He has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Perez, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base.
Port of Los Angeles' win bumped their record up to 12-8. As for Sherman Oaks CES, their victory bumped their record up to 15-3.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Port of Los Angeles hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .329. However, it's not like Sherman Oaks CES struggles in that department as they've averaged .353. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Port of Los Angeles couldn't quite finish off Sherman Oaks CES in their previous matchup back in February of 2020 and fell 5-3. Can the Polar Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
