The Yosemite Badgers will venture away from home to square off against the Washington Union Panthers at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Yosemite 1.8, Washington Union 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Yosemite barely beat Madera South the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Yosemite's pitchers stepped up to hand Madera South a 7-0 shutout on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Badgers.
The result came thanks to Jonah Smock's shutout, as he gave up just a hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Taytum Whitesides was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Quaid Lyster, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Washington Union put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They walked away with an 8-3 win over Hoover.
The team relied heavily on Trey Morris, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Josiah Otero also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Washington Union kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Yosemite's record is now 3-1. As for Washington Union, their record is now 6-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Yosemite has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Washington Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Yosemite couldn't quite finish off Washington Union in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 and fell 10-8. Can Yosemite avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
