The Albany Cougars will face off against the Saint Mary's Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Albany has three straight victories, Saint Mary's has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Albany's win against Miramonte wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cougars had just enough and edged out the Matadors 2-1. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Max Eddy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits. He also put up two walks, which were his first of the season.
On the hitting side, Albany saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tour? Hudson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary's didn't have quite enough to beat Bishop O'Dowd on Saturday and fell 8-7.
Damien Nolan made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another was Brandon Sanchez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-4.
Saint Mary's loss dropped their record down to 2-9. As for Albany, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.
Albany's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. The Cougars have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Saint Mary's, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Albany continue to outrun the ball?
Albany couldn't quite get it done against Saint Mary's in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 6-1. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
