The Sierra Pacific Golden Bears will head out to take on the Atascadero Greyhounds at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Sierra Pacific is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.
On Monday, Sierra Pacific had just enough and edged out Lemoore 7-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Golden Bears have posted against the Tigers since March 8, 2017.
Xander Stone
| 03/24/25 vs Lemoore | 2 |
| 03/08/25 vs Selma | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs San Joaquin Memorial | 0 |
| 02/28/25 @ Madera | 1 |
Xander Stone tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Cristian Flores and Justin Simas did most of the damage at the plate: Flores scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Simas scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases Simas has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Issac Ibarra, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Atascadero made easy work of Chowchilla on Friday and carried off an 8-1 victory. The Greyhounds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by six runs or more this season.
Uly Kaul was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. He has become a key player for Atascadero: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one hit, but 2-3 otherwise. Kaul was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
In other pitching news, Steven Ernst looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Kaul wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Reid Gearhart, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was Gearhart's first of the season. Zach Savino was another, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Sierra Pacific's win was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Atascadero, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Atascadero's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Sierra Pacific has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Atascadero, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4 strikeouts. Will Sierra Pacific keep running through batters, or will Atascadero buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
