The Foothill Falcons will face off against the Clark Chargers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Foothill took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged out Rancho 7-5.
Makoa Elliott made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Elliott was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Matthew Szymarek and Zaden Kekoa Sibal did most of the damage at the plate: Szymarek went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base, while Sibal got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one triple and one run. Dahlin Scow was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
Foothill hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Clark got themselves on the board against Cheyenne on Thursday, but Cheyenne never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Desert Shields with a sharp 11-0 victory. Considering the Chargers have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Foothill, Clark also got a great game from a two-way player: Ryland Gregorich. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave Gregorich a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four RBI.
In other batting news, Bryan Humes was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hudson Fraidenburg, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Clark and bumps their season record up to 13-11. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Foothill, their win bumped their record up to 18-8-1.
Foothill was able to grind out a solid victory over Clark in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, winning 7-3. Will the Falcons repeat their success, or do the Chargers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
