The Las Vegas Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Shadow Ridge Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Las Vegas is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Las Vegas is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Coronado, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Las Vegas was ranked third). Las Vegas blew past Coronado 11-0. The win was a breath of fresh air for Las Vegas as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Joseph Ponticello made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Ponticello has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Ponticello was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bryden Bull, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI. Andrew Padilla was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Shadow Ridge has not done well against Bishop Gorman recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Shadow Ridge had just enough and edged Bishop Gorman out 3-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Shadow Ridge.
Brock Morrow spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
On the hitting side, Andrew Torres was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
Las Vegas' record now sits at 18-5-1. As for Shadow Ridge, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 12-13-1 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Las Vegas has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shadow Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
