Preview: Minarets Mustangs vs. Sierra Pacific Golden Bears
The Minarets Mustangs are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Sierra Pacific Golden Bears at 1:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Minarets gave up the first runs on Monday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Coalinga by a score of 9-5.
Jaydon Von Wagner was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. Von Wagner was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Caleb Herbert was incredible, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Aiden Johnson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Sierra Pacific had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They walked away with an 8-3 win over the Bears. That's two games straight that Sierra Pacific has won by exactly five runs.
Kaleb Koelewyn tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits.
At the plate, Justin Simas and Issac Ibarra did most of the damage at the plate: Simas scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Ibarra scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Villalpando, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Minarets' victory bumped their record up to 4-10. As for Sierra Pacific, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Minarets has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sierra Pacific struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Minarets came out on top in a nail-biter against Sierra Pacific in their previous meeting back in April of 2021, sneaking past 9-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Minarets since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
