The Buena Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the Ventura Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Buena was handed a ten-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past St. Bonaventure 2-1.
Chris Garcia
| 03/20/25 @ St. Bonaventure | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Grace | 0 |
| 03/04/25 @ Dos Pueblos | 2 |
Chris Garcia spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Kaelan Davis was excellent, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Those stolen bases marked the first that he snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Gabriel Alonzo, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Ventura). Everything went their way against Buena on Tuesday as Ventura made off with an 11-1 win. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by six runs or more this season.
Josh Woodworth and Wylan Nelson made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Woodworth pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Nelson struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits (and only one walk). Woodworth also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Ventura is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-3-1 otherwise. At the plate, Woodworth scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-4, while Nelson scored three runs while going 4-for-5. The dominant performance gave Nelson a new career-high in hits.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trevor Woodworth, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Ventura kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Buena has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. Ventura now has a winning record of 5-4-1.
Buena suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Ventura in their previous meeting on Tuesday. Can Buena avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
