The Ripon Indians will head out to square off against the Hughson Huskies at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Ripon's victory against Sonora wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Ripon skirted past Sonora 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Indians have posted since May 3, 2024.
Fabian Nuno
| 03/11/25 vs Hughson | 6 |
| 02/17/25 @ Merced | 3 |
| 03/04/25 vs Kimball | 1 |
Fabian Nuno tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over 5.2 innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Ripon is 3-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 2-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Ripon's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Isaiah Martinez, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Hughson came tearing into Wednesday's contest with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.4 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Warriors an 18-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Huskies, who have now won six games by six runs or more so far this season.
Max Mankins made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in February of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bryce McDaniel, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Andrew Fisher, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.
Hughson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Orestimba only posted an OBP of .111.
Hughson's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-2. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Ripon, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.
Ripon suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to Hughson in their previous matchup on March 11th. Can Ripon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
