The Ukiah Wildcats will take on the Casa Grande Gauchos at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Casa Grande took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Ukiah, who comes in off a win.
Ukiah is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since March 17th on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Maria Carrillo 4-3. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Pumas: they've now won five in a row.
Jaxon Mellus tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Davon Dockins was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Sterling Wright III, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
San Marin hit Casa Grande with a four-run second inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Gauchos fell just short of the Mustangs by a score of 5-4. The Gauchos have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jack Mountanos was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Mountanos was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
Mountanos wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Franco Bernardini, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Casa Grande's defeat dropped their record down to 16-6. As for Ukiah, their victory bumped their record up to 12-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ukiah has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Casa Grande struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ukiah skirted past Casa Grande 3-2 when the teams last played back in March of 2025. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Gauchos have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
