With a playoff game on the line, Sherman Oaks CES rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Grant Lancers with a sharp 11-5 victory. The result was nothing new for Sherman Oaks CES, who have now won seven matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Nicholas Bilicic made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Bilicic has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive pitching appearances. Bilicic was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Sherman Oaks CES got a massive performance out of Judah Sapong, who scored two runs and stole five bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Sapong hasn't dropped below two stolen bases for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Liam Clinger, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-5.
Like Sherman Oaks CES, Grant also got a great game from a two-way player: Carson Rinka. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off only two hits. Rinka was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Rinka wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Damian Gonzalez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Even though they lost, Grant was hitting in the alleys and finished the game with three doubles. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sherman Oaks CES didn't hit any.
Sherman Oaks CES is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-6-1 record this season. As for Grant, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-11-1.
Sherman Oaks CES will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against Sotomayor at 3:00 p.m. Sotomayor will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Sherman Oaks CES surely won't give up without a fight. Grant does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
