King's Academy had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped their record down to 9-9 to make it four. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (5-4), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. They were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Bears earlier this season, when they won 5-4.
Nate Plata made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one double. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
As for Menlo-Atherton, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games.
On Menlo-Atherton's side, Jimmy Zaharias was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed 1.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Zaharias a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
In other pitching news, Wes Peterson looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Ryder Kelly, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Gianni Olivero was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. King's Academy will take on Scotts Valley at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Knights' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Falcons have averaged an impressive 6.4 runs per game this season. As for Menlo-Atherton, they will face off against Burlingame at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
