The Vacaville Bulldogs are taking a road trip to face off against the Freedom Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Vacaville's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Freedom's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Vacaville is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Pioneer just ended the team's seven-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Patriots by a score of 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Bulldogs have suffered since March 18th.
Vacaville got a good showing from Ethan Williams, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave Williams a new career-low.
At the plate, Dom Yacovetti made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. Rome Griego was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Freedom was able to grind out a solid win over Tesoro on Tuesday, taking the game 7-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons.
Colton Vick was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Freedom is 5-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 2-4 otherwise. Vick was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Andrew Borrego, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 1-for-3. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Caleb Emmons, who scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Freedom pushed their record up to 7-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Vacaville, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 14-7.
Freedom's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Vacaville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Freedom, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will Vacaville keep running through batters, or will the Falcons buck the trend?
Vacaville took their victory against Freedom in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
