Ponderosa is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will head out on the road to challenge the Woodcreek Timberwolves at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Ponderosa has seven straight wins, Woodcreek has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Ponderosa didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-23), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Union Mine on Friday as Ponderosa made off with an 8-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Bruins, who have now won three matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Garrett Snyder made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tommy Texdahl, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Max Baumgartner also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Ponderosa was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Union Mine only posted a batting average of .120.
Meanwhile, Woodcreek came up short against West Park on Friday and fell 7-3.
Woodcreek also got a good showing from Dane Wyles, who tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
At the plate, Woodcreek saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was LT Lindsay, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Ponderosa's record now sits at 5-0. As for Woodcreek, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Ponderosa's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. Ponderosa has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Woodcreek, though, as they've been averaging only 0.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Ponderosa continue to outrun the ball?
Ponderosa might still be hurting after the 8-2 loss they got from Woodcreek in their previous meeting back in April of 2019. Can Ponderosa avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
