The Dublin Gaels will head out to take on the Alhambra Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Dublin 1.5, Alhambra 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Alhambra will challenge a team with plenty of momentum: Dublin extended their winning streak to three on Tuesday. The Gaels walked away with a 5-1 win over Clayton Valley Charter. That's two games straight that the Gaels have won by exactly four runs.
Andrew Zorinich tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. 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, the team relied heavily on Brendan Moddelmog, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kolby Breining, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Alhambra had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They skirted past the Grizzlies 3-1.
Alhambra also got a great performance from Cooper Nixdorff as he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
At the plate, Alhambra's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Darrian Thornton, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Ismael Rivera Parra was another, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Alhambra's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Dublin, their record now sits at 13-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Dublin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Alhambra struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Dublin was able to grind out a solid win over Alhambra in their previous meeting back in April of 2022, winning 5-1. Do the Gaels have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
