The Summerville Bears will face off against the Woodland Christian Cardinals at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Summerville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Mariposa County as they made off with a 20-10 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bears.
Aidan Ripley made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched 5.1 innings while giving up four earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. Ripley was also stellar in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with four runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Summerville: the team is 5-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 9-11-1 otherwise.
Tyler Karpus
| 05/06/25 vs Mariposa County | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Calaveras | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Riverbank | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Linden | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Riverbank | 1 |
In other batting news, Tyler Karpus was excellent, going 1-for-3 with three runs and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
Summerville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Woodland Christian waltzed into their match on Tuesday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They were the clear victors by a 15-1 margin over the Legacy.
Like Summerville, Woodland Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Jordan Villanueva. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Villanueva has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs.
In other pitching news, Parker Howald looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jeffrey Nannini, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Ethan Howald, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Woodland Christian pushed their record up to 22-6 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Summerville, they now have a winning record of 14-13-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Summerville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Woodland Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
