A feisty cat fight will be fought as University Prep Panthers challenge Redding Christian Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. University Prep is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
University Prep was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Las Plumas on Wednesday. University Prep blew past Las Plumas 7-1. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won six matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Casey Wrathall
| 02/27/25 @ Enterprise | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Corning | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs Las Plumas | 1 |
| 03/04/25 @ Trinity | 1 |
Casey Wrathall was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because University Prep is 3-0-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 3-4 otherwise. Wrathall was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Kaos Martin and David Wenham did most of the damage at the plate: Martin scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Wenham scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Wenham is becoming a predictor of University Prep's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 2-3-1 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Snell, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
University Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Redding Christian had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against Trinity by a score of 8-4 on Tuesday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Garrett Webb made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out nine batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Kaleb Armstrong-Higgins was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Caleb Zick, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.
University Prep's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-4-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Redding Christian, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
