Baseball Game Preview: Bonita Bearcats vs. Santiago Sharks

The Bonita Bearcats will take on the Santiago Sharks in a tournament on Friday. Bonita's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Santiago's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

It was a proper cat-fight when Bonita faced off against Norco on Thursday. The Bearcats fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 3-2. The Bearcats have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Daniel Nageer was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off one hit.

On the hitting side, Bonita saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Josh Angely, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Santiago). They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Temecula Valley on Thursday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Sharks with their most commanding win of the season.

Santiago's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Bonita, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7.

Bonita came out on top in a nail-biter against Santiago in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 2-0. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Sharks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.