Baseball Preview: Carmel Padres vs. Salinas Cowboys
The Carmel Padres will be playing in front of their home fans against the Salinas Cowboys at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Carmel will stroll in with a seven game home winning streak, but they should still watch out: the last time they lost at home was their March 7 matchup with Salinas.
In what's become a running theme this season, Carmel gave their fans yet another huge win on Saturday. They put the hurt on Saratoga with a sharp 11-1 victory.
Hudson Rutherford looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Carmel let Justin LeMaster and Matt Maxon loose on the outfield. LeMaster scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances, while Maxon scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was JJ Sanchez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Salinas' good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They fell victim to a tough 13-4 defeat at the hands of Hollister.
Salinas saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jake Yeater, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
Carmel's win bumped their record up to 16-3. As for Salinas, their loss dropped their record down to 13-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Carmel has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Salinas struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Carmel came out on top in a nail-biter against Salinas in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 2-0. Does Carmel have another victory up their sleeve, or will Salinas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
