The Bear Creek Bruins will face off against the Weston Ranch Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Bear Creek's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last four matchups.
On Thursday, Bear Creek got the win against Escalon by a conclusive 11-1. The Bruins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by six runs or more this season.
Jacob Lane spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up nine Ks.
Kevin Johnson
| 03/26/25 vs Chavez | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Escalon | 2 |
| 03/28/25 @ Chavez | 2 |
| 04/02/25 @ Weston Ranch | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Lincoln | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
On the hitting side, Bear Creek got a big performance out of Kevin Johnson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2. Johnson has become a key player for the Bruins: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 6-9 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxson Bayani, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Johnson wasn't the only one making solid contact: Bear Creek kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for the Bruins: they were averaging 4.3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 10.2.
Meanwhile, Weston Ranch fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Bear Creek on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell 12-9 to the Bruins. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Dominik Makinano put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, JoseLuis Suarez was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Bear Creek is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Weston Ranch, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-6.
Bear Creek was able to grind out a solid victory over Weston Ranch in their previous meeting on Wednesday, winning 12-9. Will the Bruins repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
