The Biggs Wolverines will challenge the Maxwell Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Maxwell will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Biggs extended their winning streak to four last Friday. The Wolverines put the hurt on Portola with a sharp 16-2 victory. The Wolverines not only won last Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 1st (when they won 18-2).
Dennis Dewhurst made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Hudson Brewer was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Collin Beck was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Biggs was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They are 11-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Maxwell had no trouble coming through when it counted. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Portola a 7-0 shutout on Friday. The win continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won five in a row.
Like Biggs, Maxwell also got a great game from a two-way player: Massey Baker. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Baker was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Baker wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Edgar Izquierdo, who went 2-for-3 with two runs. Another was Luke Pearson, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Biggs pushed their record up to 15-10 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Maxwell, their victory bumped their record up to 19-6.
Maxwell's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Biggs has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .453. It's a different story for Maxwell, though, as they've only averaged .312. Will they be able to contain Biggs' hitters?
Biggs might still be hurting after the 12-1 loss they got from Maxwell in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Wolverines avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
