Patterson and Merced are an even 4-4 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Patterson Tigers will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against the Merced Bears at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Patterson comes in on four and Merced on three.
Patterson will bounce into Wednesday's matchup after beating Golden Valley, who they hadn't topped in seven consecutive meetings. Patterson came out on top in a nail-biter against Golden Valley on Friday and snuck past 2-1.
Desirrei Sorci spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 15 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Patterson's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kayla Ortiz, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases. The team also got some help courtesy of Elizabeth Zavala, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Merced put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Buhach Colony an 11-0 shutout. While fans of Merced might be used to big wins, the 11-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Annalise Ramirez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Ramirez was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Antonia Lejarde was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Aleatha Buchner was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Patterson's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-6. As for Merced, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-9-1.
Patterson came out on top in a nail-biter against Merced in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 5-4. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ramirez, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 6.2 innings pitched. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Patterson still be able to contain Ramirez? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
