The Junipero Serra Padres will face off against the Del Oro Golden Eagles at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Junipero Serra 3, Del Oro 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Junipero Serra's tournament run continued when they took on Benicia last Thursday. The Padres came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 9-4.
Aiden Waters looked comfortable as he tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Junipero Serra let Evan Bradshaw and Ian Josephson run wild. Bradshaw went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI, while Josephson went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most runs Josephson has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was William Walbridge, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
Junipero Serra was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Benicia only posted a batting average of .226.
Meanwhile, Del Oro was able to grind out a solid win over Jesuit on Thursday, taking the game 5-1.
Brody Coxen tossed a big game, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Shane Maloney, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run. Kevin Taylor was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one run and one double.
Junipero Serra's victory bumped their record up to 17-4. As for Del Oro, their win bumped their record up to 16-8.
Junipero Serra's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's contest. The Padres have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Del Oro, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Junipero Serra continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
