Baseball Game Preview: Lincoln Mustangs vs. Balboa Buccaneers

For the second straight game, Lincoln will face off against Balboa. The Mustangs will venture away from home to challenge the Buccaneers at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

If Lincoln beats Balboa with ten runs on Thursday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Mustangs didn't even let the Buccaneers on the board on Wednesday, marking the Mustangs' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Mustangs in their matchups with the Buccaneers: they've now won nine in a row.

Branson Derrington

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/09/25 vs Balboa	13
03/20/25 @ Lowell	8
04/02/25 @ San Diego	6
03/03/25 @ Woodside	6
02/25/25 @ University	4

Branson Derrington made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 13 over five innings pitched. Those 13 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jerry Hou, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He has become a key player for Lincoln: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 4-9 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Everett Carvalho, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and two RBI.

Lincoln always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .690. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Balboa is on a ten-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-8. As for Lincoln, their record now sits at 6-10.