Denair hasn't had much luck against Mariposa County recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 3:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
Denair is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Stone Ridge Christian last Friday as they made off with an 18-9 victory. The win continues a trend for the Coyotes in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won three in a row.
Thomas Lundquist
| 04/18/25 @ Stone Ridge Christian | 4 |
| 04/03/25 vs Gustine | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Gustine | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Le Grand | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Stone Ridge Christian | 2 |
| 02/27/25 @ Big Valley Christian | 4 |
Kyle Sorensen and Thomas Lundquist were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Sorensen pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Lundquist pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February. At the plate, Sorensen got on base in three of his six plate appearances with two runs, while Lundquist went 1-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Noah Lundquist, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Denair: the team is 5-0-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-7 otherwise. Another was Brayden Hart, who got on base in four of his three plate appearances.
Denair always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Mariposa County got themselves on the board against Waterford last Friday, but Waterford never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 11-0 victory. Considering the Grizzlies have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Mariposa County got a massive performance out of Laten Butler, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. Carmine Sandoval was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Mariposa County has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Denair, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Denair has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mariposa County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Denair beat Mariposa County 4-1 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Coyotes repeat their success, or do the Grizzlies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
