For the first time this season, Carlsbad will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They are taking a road trip to challenge the Rancho Bernardo Broncos at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Carlsbad was handed a eight-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene last Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand JSerra Catholic a 1-0 shutout.
Benjamin Lopez
| 03/28/25 @ JSerra Catholic | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Cypress | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Maranatha Christian | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ McKinney Boyd | 1 |
Hunter Dawson and Benjamin Lopez dominated on the mound. Dawson didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched, while Lopez didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Lopez also tossed a walk, which is notable because Carlsbad is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 3-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Carlsbad's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Rob Bering, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Rancho Bernardo won against Eastlake on Wednesday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Broncos skirted past Cathedral Catholic 5-3.
Caden Dockan tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on HUGO GONZALEZ, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Strachan, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Carlsbad is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games. As for Rancho Bernardo, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Carlsbad's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. The Lancers have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Rancho Bernardo, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Carlsbad continue to outrun the ball?
Carlsbad couldn't quite get it done against Rancho Bernardo in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 9-6. Can the Lancers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
