The matchup between West Ranch and Saugus on Friday hardly resembled the 4-0 effort from their previous meeting. West Ranch skirted past Saugus 11-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since March 5th.
Orlando Gutierrez looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, West Ranch let Landon Hu and Nolan Stoll run wild. Hu scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Stoll went 2-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave Stoll a new career-high. Ty Diaz was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
West Ranch kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 8.8.
Wildcats
| 03/28/25 @ Saugus | 11-9 |
| 03/26/25 vs Saugus | 4-0 |
| 03/21/25 vs Canyon | 17-0 |
| 03/19/25 @ Canyon | 9-6 |
| 03/18/25 vs Castaic | 9-1 |
The victory (which was West Ranch's fifth in a row) raised their record to 10-5. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Saugus, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 9-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. West Ranch will host Layton at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in West Ranch's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Layton has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road. As for Saugus, they will welcome Sylmar at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Sylmar's pitching crew has only allowed 1.2 runs per game this season, so Saugus' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
