Baseball Preview: Stevenson Pirates vs. North Salinas Vikings
The Stevenson Pirates will look to defend their home field on Saturday against the North Salinas Vikings at 11:30 a.m. Stevenson is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Stevenson is returning to their home field after beating Alisal on theirs, despite the fact Alisal has dominated at home this season. Stevenson narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Alisal 3-2.
Sean Ishii and Amani Wilson made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Ishii struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Meanwhile, Wilson pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Ishii has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Ishii scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4, while Wilson went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, a double, and an RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was JJ Hall, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, North Salinas fell victim to Soledad and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They took a 4-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Aztecs. North Salinas has not had much luck with Soledad recently, as the team's come up short the last eight times they've met.
Stevenson's win bumped their record up to 10-4. As for North Salinas, their loss dropped their record down to 3-8.
North Salinas' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Stevenson has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. It's a different story for North Salinas, though, as they've only averaged .358. Will they be able to contain Stevenson's hitters?
Stevenson took their victory against North Salinas in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 11-3. Will Stevenson repeat their success, or does North Salinas have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
