California is 1-9 against De La Salle since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Grizzlies will be playing in front of their home fans against the Spartans at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (California 4, De La Salle 2.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Friday just wasn't the day for California's offense. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of San Ramon Valley on Friday. Considering the last time the Grizzlies couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.
California got a good showing from Chris Basurto, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Basurto has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, California saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Johnny Edwards, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, De La Salle waltzed into their game on Saturday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They never let the Wildcats get on the board and left with a 22-0 victory. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by six runs or more this season.
Cooper Barnes looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched.
At the plate, De La Salle got a massive performance out of Niko Baumgartner, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those three hits gave Baumgartner a new career-high. Zach Tchejeyan was another key player, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
De La Salle hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dougherty Valley struck out ten times.
De La Salle pushed their record up to 18-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for California, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-9.
California couldn't quite get it done against De La Salle in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 7-3. Can the Grizzlies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
