Baseball Recap: South Victorious

While South's win against North wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Spartans had just enough and edged out the Stars 6-5 on Thursday. The Spartans haven't had any issues with the Stars recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Josh Encinas

Batters Struck Out

05/01/25 @ North	7
04/24/25 vs Mira Monte	7
04/16/25 vs Woodlake	11
04/12/25 vs Corcoran	11
04/08/25 @ East Bakersfield	12
+ 2 more games

Josh Encinas was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off nine hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

In other pitching news, Edgar Gurrola looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, South let Jose Bojorquez and Tomas Encinas run wild. Bojorquez got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double, while Encinas got on base in two of his five plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs. Bojorquez has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played. Another player making a difference was Julien Espinoza, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.

South always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North only posted an OBP of .324.

South pushed their record up to 17-7 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for North, they have been struggling recently as they've lost 15 of their last 16 matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-19 record this season.

South will face off against McFarland at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The Spartans are facing the Cougars at the right time seeing as the Cougars are stuck on a four-game losing streak. As for North, they will be playing at home against West at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.