The Linden Lions will challenge the Ripon Christian Knights at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Linden will be strutting in after a win while Ripon Christian will be coming in after a defeat.
Linden barely beat Escalon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Linden blew past Escalon 10-1 on Monday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Lions considering their one-run performance the match before.
Linden got a great performance from Justin Sales as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. Sales has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Braden Busalacchi was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Nikko Vigna, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one RBI.
Linden always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Ripon Christian was a bit more limited in their contest on Monday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Grace Davis.
Ripon Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jordan Luisi, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Ripon Christian's loss dropped their record down to 5-2. As for Linden, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Linden has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ripon Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Linden was able to grind out a solid victory over Ripon Christian when the teams last played back in April of 2022, winning 6-3. Does Linden have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ripon Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
