University Prep and Lassen are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. University Prep will venture away from home to take on Lassen at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. University Prep is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
It was a proper cat-fight when University Prep duked it out with Redding Christian on Friday. University Prep came out on top against Redding Christian by a score of 8-4. While the Panthers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Waylon Stripling made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in May of 2024. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
David Wenham
| 03/08/25 vs Oroville | 3 |
| 03/04/25 @ Trinity | 3 |
| 03/01/25 vs McKinleyville | 3 |
| 03/28/25 vs Redding Christian | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Las Plumas | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
In other batting news, David Wenham was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. University Prep is 5-1 when Wenham posts two or more runs, but 2-3-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Snell, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lassen fell victim to Las Plumas and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Thunderbirds. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Grizzlies' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Gaven Mueller was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lassen saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Blake Tow, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base.
University Prep is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-4-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. Lassen's loss ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-5.
University Prep suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Lassen in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can University Prep avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
