With a playoff win on the line, Fresno Christian rose to the challenge on Friday. They never let the McFarland Cougars get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. Considering the Eagles' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Braden Belmont
| 05/16/25 vs McFarland | 5 |
| 05/13/25 @ Minarets | 0 |
| 05/06/25 vs Fowler | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Sierra | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Edison | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Caruthers | 6 |
Braden Belmont was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over six innings pitched. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Fresno Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 7-16 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Josh Kubota, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Fresno Christian is 6-2 when Kubota posts two or more runs, but 5-14 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Joseph Davila, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Fresno Christian's win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 11-16. As for McFarland, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-16-1 record this season.
Fresno Christian will square off against Riverdale at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. McFarland does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
