The Fremont Pathfinders will face off against the King/Drew Golden Eagles at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Fremont 4.1, King/Drew 3.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Monday, Fremont earned a 6-1 victory over Dorsey.
James Harris made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs.
In other batting news, Jahdiel Roberts was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Alex Amaro was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, King/Drew had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They came out on top against the Monarchs by a score of 8-4.
Like Fremont, King/Drew also got a great game from a two-way player: Danilo Meade. Throwing, Meade struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Hades Carranza tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meade has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Meade went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run, while Carranza went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Angel Chavez, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. Another was Elijah Lugo, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Fremont has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for King/Drew, their victory bumped their record up to 15-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fremont has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like King/Drew struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fremont beat King/Drew 9-4 when the teams last played back in April. Will the Pathfinders repeat their success, or do the Golden Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
