The Petaluma Trojans are taking a road trip to square off against the Casa Grande Gauchos at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Petaluma is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
Petaluma came out on top against Vintage on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run third inning. The Trojans took their game against the Crushers 10-6.
Arlo Pendleton made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on August Cuneo, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aiden Jones, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Petaluma kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Casa Grande got themselves on the board against Sonoma Valley on Thursday, but Sonoma Valley never followed suit. They walked away with a 3-0 win over the Dragons. The Gauchos haven't had any issues with the Dragons recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Like Petaluma, Casa Grande also got a great game from a two-way player: Danny Mercado. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. Mercado was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI.
Mercado wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Miles Nicholas, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Petaluma pushed their record up to 14-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Casa Grande, their record is now 14-3.
Casa Grande's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Petaluma hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .347. It's a different story for Casa Grande, though, as they've only averaged .251. Will they be able to contain Petaluma's hitters?
Petaluma couldn't quite finish off Casa Grande when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Trojans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
