Baseball Game Preview: Benicia Panthers vs. Petaluma Trojans

The Benicia Panthers will head out to face off against the Petaluma Trojans at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Benicia managed to slip by Vintage the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Benicia came up short against Vintage on Tuesday, falling 10-4. The Panthers' defeat signaled the end of their undefeated season.

Jake Todd made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI.

Meanwhile, on Saturday Petaluma's undefeated season almost came to an end. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against Miramonte. The two-run effort marked the Trojans' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Petaluma also got a great performance from Arlo Pendleton as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Pendleton has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Petaluma's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Rowan Ball, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. Dominic Fontana also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Petaluma pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.1 runs over those games. As for Benicia, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.

Benicia came up short against Petaluma in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 4-0. Can Benicia avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.