The Atwater Falcons will head out to take on the Merced Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, Atwater got the win against Los Banos by a conclusive 9-3. The win continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won five in a row.
The team relied heavily on Mia Hendrickson, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Another player making a difference was Audrina Granados, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Atwater was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Los Banos only posted a batting average of .185.
Meanwhile, Merced waltzed into their game on Wednesday with 12 straight wins... but they left with 13. They never let the Cougars get on the board and left with a 9-0 victory.
Annalise Ramirez made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 13 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples, three RBI, and one stolen base. Those two triples gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Liliana Meneley was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bree Pimentel, who scored a run and stole two bases.
Merced pushed their record up to 17-2-1 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Atwater, their record is now 18-5.
Both Atwater and Merced just can't seem to miss. The Falcons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. However, it's not like Merced struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Atwater came up short against Merced in their previous meeting last Wednesday, falling 4-0. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
