The Lincoln Mustangs are taking a road trip to face off against the Lick-Wilmerding Tigers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Lincoln lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Washington, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Thursday's matchup. The Mustangs were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Eagles on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Mustangs, who have now won nine games by six runs or more so far this season.
Branson Derrington
| 04/24/25 vs Washington | 3 |
| 04/23/25 @ Washington | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Balboa | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Mission | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Mission | 1 |
Branson Derrington made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has become a key player for Lincoln: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most three hits, but 9-11 otherwise. Derrington was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs and one triple. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Xavier Malizia looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Jeremiah Arriola was excellent, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Nicholas Chiu was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Lincoln hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Washington struck out 11 times.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Lick-Wilmerding took on Marin Academy on Friday. The Tigers blew past the Wildcats 12-2. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Benji Cho was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Cho was also big at the plate, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kian Perrone, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Nathaniel Emerson, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Lincoln has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-12 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Lick-Wilmerding, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Lincoln skirted past Lick-Wilmerding 4-3 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
