Baseball Game Preview: Gridley Bulldogs vs. Oroville Tigers

For the second straight game, Gridley will face off against Oroville. The Bulldogs will face off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Gridley has six straight victories, Oroville has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Gridley had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Oroville on Tuesday. The Bulldogs never let the Tigers get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. With that victory, the Bulldogs brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.

Tanner Abbott

Batters Struck Out

05/06/25 vs Oroville	11
04/29/25 vs Orland	10
04/14/25 vs Folsom	7
04/08/25 @ Las Plumas	9
03/31/25 vs Windward	9
+ 2 more games

Tanner Abbott was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

In other batting news, Garrett Francis was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Eli Punzo, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Gridley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .478. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Gridley pushed their record up to 18-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Oroville, their loss dropped their record down to 5-17.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Gridley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oroville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.