Pinewood is 0-7 against Crystal Springs Uplands since March of 2015 but things could change on Monday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Gryphons at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pinewood took a ten-run loss the last time they faced off against Design Tech, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 win over the Dragons on Friday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Panthers as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Jamie Burton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on eight hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
Alakh Kapadia
| 04/25/25 vs Design Tech | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs More | 2 |
| 02/28/25 @ Crystal Springs Uplands | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ Design Tech | 1 |
| 04/18/25 @ Summit Shasta | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Alakh Kapadia, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Crystal Springs Uplands waltzed into their contest on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Grizzlies as they made off with a 13-1 win. The Gryphons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by six runs or more this season.
Brandon Ma made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 17 over seven innings pitched. Ma was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Connor Uchida was incredible, going 4-for-5 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Nick Loew, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
Crystal Springs Uplands kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Crystal Springs Uplands' victory was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pinewood, their victory bumped their record up to 3-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pinewood has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Crystal Springs Uplands struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
