The El Dorado Cougars will challenge the Union Mine Diamondbacks at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
El Dorado is headed into the game having just posted their closest victory since May 3, 2024 on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Amador 5-3.
Gavin Ashton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned runs on three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
JJ Allen
| 04/24/25 @ Amador | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Galt | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs South Tahoe | 1 |
| 02/22/25 vs Foothill | 1 |
At the plate, JJ Allen was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. He is becoming a predictor of El Dorado's success: when he posts at least one home run the team is undefeated (and 8-11 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Ozenne, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Union Mine had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They skirted past the Warriors 6-4.
Nate Gregson made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Gregson was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple.
Gregson wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Matt Manfredi, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Union Mine's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-11. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for El Dorado, they now also have a winning record of 12-11.
El Dorado's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. The Cougars have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Union Mine, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will El Dorado continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went El Dorado's way against Union Mine in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as El Dorado made off with a 9-1 victory. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Diamondbacks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
