The Granada Matadors will take on the California Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. California took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Granada, who comes in off a win.
Granada took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They walked away with an 8-5 win over Monte Vista. The Matadors haven't had any issues with the Mustangs recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Tommy Brown was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mikey Boyd, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, California fell victim to Amador Valley and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 12-0 to the Dons. Surprisingly, this marked the fourth straight game that the away team has come away the victor.
Brayden Gijbels was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because California is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise.
On the hitting side, California saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Johnny Edwards, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base. That stolen base was Edwards' first of the season.
California's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Granada, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Granada has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like California struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Granada came out on top in a nail-biter against California in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. Will Granada repeat their success, or does California has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
