Merced and Patterson are an even 4-4 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Merced Bears will head out on the road to challenge the Patterson Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Merced gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They put the hurt on Buhach Colony with a sharp 11-0 win. While fans of Merced might be used to big wins, the 11-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Annalise Ramirez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Ramirez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Ramirez was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Merced got a massive performance out of Antonia Lejarde, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Aleatha Buchner was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Patterson has not done well against Golden Valley recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Patterson skirted past Golden Valley 2-1. The victory was familiar territory for Patterson who now have four in a row.
Desirrei Sorci spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 15 Ks.
At the plate, Patterson saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kayla Ortiz, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Zavala, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
The win got Merced back to even at 9-9-1. As for Patterson, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
