The Elk Grove Thundering Herd will venture away from home to face off against the McClatchy Lions at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
McClatchy will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Elk Grove extended their winning streak to four on Friday. The Thundering Herd were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over Cosumnes Oaks.
Cooper Gannon looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Chase Groves
| 04/25/25 vs Cosumnes Oaks | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Cardinal Newman | 2 |
| 05/02/24 vs Davis Sr. | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Cosumnes Oaks | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Buchanan | 1 |
At the plate, Chase Groves and Brent Martin did most of the damage at the plate: Groves went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs and three RBI, while Martin went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave Groves a new career-high. Matt Soares was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Elk Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .478. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .364 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when McClatchy duked it out with Kennedy on Friday. The Lions never let the Cougars get on the board and left with an 11-0 win. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matches by eight runs or more this season.
Christian Coronado made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Coronado was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Elias Ortega, who went 2-for-4 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Elk Grove's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-9. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for McClatchy, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 20-5.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Elk Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .332. However, it's not like McClatchy struggles in that department as they've averaged .313. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
