California has played every game this season on their home field, but they'll have to hit the road on Thursday. They will face off against the Linn Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Two weeks ago, California got the win against Cole Camp by a conclusive 10-4.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Saturday Linn sidestepped Owensville for a 9-8 victory. The win was just what Linn needed coming off of a 13-3 defeat in their prior match.
Austin Dudenhoeffer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (he also only allowed one walk). Dudenhoeffer has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Dudenhoeffer was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Craig Laughlin, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Curtis Deeken was another key contributor, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
California's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 3-0. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs per game. As for Linn, their record now sits at 4-5.
California came out on top in a nail-biter against Linn in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for California since the team 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
