It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Hope Christian had no problem doing just that on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Bernalillo Spartans 6-5. The win made it back-to-back victories for Hope Christian.
Jacob Gergen made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching an inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Gergen has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Gergen was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Hope Christian got a great performance from Joe Marek as he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. Marek has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than six innings in five consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Nolan Garcia, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Brady McGahie, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
On Bernalillo's side, Ulisses Castro made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a stolen base and an RBI.
Even though they lost, Bernalillo hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hope Christian struck out nine times.
Hope Christian pushed their record up to 18-9 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Bernalillo, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 14-8.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: they beat Hope Christian by a score of 7-3.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
