For the second straight game, Grace Davis will face off against Pacheco. The Spartans will welcome the Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Grace Davis is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Grace Davis and Pacheco, and Pacheco kept the tradition alive. The Spartans took a 12-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Panthers on Tuesday.
For Pacheco's part, Nathan Rogers was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. The dominant performance also gave Rogers a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Pacheco got a massive performance out of Zealand Hatcher, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Hatcher is becoming a predictor of the Panthers' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-11 when he doesn't). Jacob Sanchez was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-3.
Grace Davis now has a losing record of 8-9. As for Pacheco, they moved to 5-11 with that victory, which also ended their four-game losing streak.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grace Davis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pacheco struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 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.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps