North Monterey County is 0-3 against Ann Sobrato since February of 2016 but things could change on Monday. The North Monterey County Condors will head out on the road to challenge the Ann Sobrato Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
North Monterey County's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 14-0 margin over Marina. The victory continues a trend for the Condors in their matchups with the Mariners: they've now won three in a row.
Tyler Bladwin
| 03/06/25 vs Pajaro Valley | 3 |
| 03/19/25 vs Marina | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Watsonville | 2 |
Leo Cruz and Tyler Bladwin made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Cruz pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Bladwin kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Cruz has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At the plate, Cruz scored a run while going 1-for-3, while Bladwin scored two runs and stole Three bases. North Monterey County is undefeated when Bladwin posts two or more runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julian Barajas, who scored three runs and stole Four bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. JT Islas also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
North Monterey County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ann Sobrato). They put the hurt on Hill with a sharp 13-1 win on Thursday. While the Bulldogs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
JJ Pina tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Ann Sobrato got a massive performance out of Vince Pomo, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs Pomo has posted since back in April of 2024. Liam Bettencourt was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
North Monterey County's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-4. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 10.8 runs. As for Ann Sobrato, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 5-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Monterey County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ann Sobrato struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Monterey County might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Ann Sobrato when the teams last played back in March of 2020. Can North Monterey County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
