The Apollo Hawks will head out to challenge the Boulder Creek Jaguars at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Apollo has four straight wins, Boulder Creek has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Apollo proved they can win big on Monday (they won by ten) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Dobson 11-10. 11 seems to be a good number for the Hawks as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Rey Garcia was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Diego Ramos and Carlos Parra did most of the damage at the plate: Ramos scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Parra scored a run and stole Three bases. while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. That's the most runs Ramos has posted since back in April of 2024.
Apollo always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Boulder Creek scored the most runs they've had this season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. They took a 12-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of Westwood.
Colt Eikleberry and Karsten Cornell stepped up to the plate in a big way. Eikleberry scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Cornell went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Eikleberry also put up two RBI, which were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ren Wallace, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Apollo pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Boulder Creek, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.
Boulder Creek's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Apollo has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .472. It's a different story for Boulder Creek, though, as they've only averaged .356. Will they be able to contain Apollo's hitters?
Apollo took their victory against Boulder Creek in their previous meeting back in March of 2015 by a conclusive 11-2. Does Apollo have another victory up their sleeve, or will Boulder Creek turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
