The Sierra Timberwolves will face off against the Linden Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Sierra gave up the first runs last Monday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 4-1 victory over Weston Ranch.
Anthony Chapman Jr. and Cole Martin dominated on the mound. Chapman Jr. pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit, while Martin tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Chapman Jr. a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Josh Graves, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. That stolen base was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ricardo Anaya, who got no hits from his an at bat.
Meanwhile, Linden came tearing into Tuesday's game with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They didn't even let the Red Hawks on the board, marking their second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Lions' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last three matchups.
Justin Sales tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Brody Black and Cody Cox did most of the damage at the plate: Black scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Cox scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Jonah Craven, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Linden pushed their record up to 13-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Sierra, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-11.
Sierra took their victory against Linden in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 10-2 score. Will the Timberwolves repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
