The Benicia Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Alhambra Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Benicia 3.9, Alhambra 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Benicia made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Cardinal Newman, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Panthers fell just short of the Cardinals by a score of 2-0 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Panthers have suffered since April 10th.
Benicia got a good showing from Jacob George, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. George has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Alhambra, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over Campolindo on Thursday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Bulldogs as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Cameron Millar tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Alhambra is 9-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-7 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Alhambra saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joaquin 'Kiki' Henriquez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run. That's the most hits Henriquez has posted since back in March. Ruadhan Melendez also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Benicia has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 14-8 record this season. As for Alhambra, their win bumped their record up to 13-9.
Everything went Benicia's way against Alhambra when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Benicia made off with a 6-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
