For the first time this season, Estancia will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Friday. They will take on the Anaheim Colonists at 1:30 p.m. Estancia has given up an average of 7 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Estancia blew La Quinta out of the water the last time the pair played, but on Wednesday La Quinta got their revenge. Estancia fell just short of La Quinta by a score of 14-12. One positive for the Eagles, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Sean Sweeney and Sawyer Atkinson did some serious damage despite the final result: Sweeney scored two runs while going 3-for-5, while Atkinson scored a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Sweeney a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Miles Dodge, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Even though they lost, Estancia hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Anaheim came into Tuesday's contest having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They won by a run and slipped past Loara 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Colonists have posted since April 8, 2024.
Anaheim's win was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Julian Ramos, who scored a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Andrew Tabita was another, going 1-for-5 with three RBI.
With the loss, Estancia broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 4-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Anaheim, their victory bumped their record up to 3-4.
Everything went Estancia's way against Anaheim when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as Estancia made off with an 11-4 win. Does Estancia have another victory up their sleeve, or will Anaheim turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
