The Alhambra Bulldogs will challenge the Freedom Falcons at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Alhambra sitting on three straight wins and Freedom on four.
Alhambra is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Berkeley 2-1.
Willa Adler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Alhambra saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Corina Griffone, who went 1-for-2 with one run.
Freedom came out on top against Del Norte on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Falcons walked away with a 7-4 victory over the Warriors.
Freedom also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Riley Moon gave up four earned runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Jaiden Proctor was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Yasmeen Sanchez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Freedom hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least two batters in four consecutive matches.
Freedom pushed their record up to 11-9-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.3 runs over those games. As for Alhambra, their win bumped their record up to 15-10.
Alhambra's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's contest. The Bulldogs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Freedom, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Alhambra continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went Alhambra's way against Freedom when the teams last played back in April of 2019, as Alhambra made off with an 11-3 victory. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
