El Capitan had lost 15 straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 0-19 to make it 16. They came up short against the Merced Bears, falling 17-0. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Bears this season, with their most recent loss being a 24-1 defeat back in April.
As for Merced, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 18 of their last 20 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-4-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games.
For Merced's part, Haiden Priddell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Priddell has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, Merced got a massive performance out of Ava Waldron, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI Waldron has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Lillian Gallegos, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
El Capitan does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Merced, they will square off against Gregori at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Bears' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Jaguars have averaged an impressive 8.9 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
