Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Saratoga). Their pitchers stepped up to hand the MacDonald Condor a 16-0 shutout on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Falcons considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Aiden Chen
| 04/03/25 vs MacDonald | 5 |
| 03/11/25 @ MacDonald | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Lincoln | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ Monta Vista | 2 |
| 04/04/24 @ Fremont | 2 |
Aiden Chen made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 15 over six innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Saratoga's success: when he posts at least eight strikeouts the team is 2-1 (and 1-6 when he doesn't). Chen was also big at the plate, going a perfect 5-for-5 with nine RBI, two triples, and three runs. Those five hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Eli Safine, who scored five runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those five runs gave him a new career-high. Nathan Lee also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Saratoga's victory ended a seven-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-7. As for MacDonald, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-13.
Saratoga and MacDonald could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps California Rankings. The Falcons (ranked 963rd) will meet Fremont (ranked 368th) at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, MacDonald will take on Santa Clara at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank disadvantage (1152 vs. 346).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
