The El Cerrito Gauchos will face off against the Justin-Siena Braves at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The last four games El Cerrito has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While El Cerrito didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Berkeley 5-4. That's two games straight that the Gauchos have won by just one run.
Jackson Beebout tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Ellis Fuller
| 03/15/25 vs Berkeley | 2 |
| 03/13/25 @ Piedmont | 1 |
| 03/10/25 @ Antioch | 2 |
On the hitting side, Ellis Fuller was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 3-for-5. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Jackson Dalton-Recht also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
El Cerrito kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Justin-Siena never let their opponents score on Saturday. They walked away with a 5-0 victory over St. Patrick-St. Vincent. The win continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Bruins: they've now won three in a row.
Justin-Siena also got a great performance from Spencer Nelson as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Furthermore, Nelson didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jake Fletcher, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and five RBI. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Sangiacomo, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
El Cerrito's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 8.75 hits in those games compared to only five in the others. As for Justin-Siena, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. El Cerrito has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Justin-Siena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
