Longhorns
| 04/25/25 vs Pioneer | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Pioneer | 3 |
| 04/19/25 @ Santa Cruz | 7 |
| 04/18/25 vs Willow Glen | 7 |
| 04/16/25 @ Willow Glen | 6 |
| + 14 more games |
The Leigh Longhorns will venture away from home to take on the Santa Clara Bruins at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Leigh is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.9 runs per game this season.
Leigh is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Pioneer just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Mustangs. The game marked the Longhorns' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Leigh saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Marcus Glanville, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara entered their tilt with Lynbrook on Thursday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Vikings a 13-0 shutout. The Bruins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matches by six runs or more this season.
Bruce Gibson was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Andrew Traffas, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxton Chao, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Santa Clara always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lynbrook only posted an OBP of .125.
Santa Clara's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Leigh, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 16-3.
Saturday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Leigh hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they've averaged .361. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Leigh took their victory against Santa Clara when the teams last played back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Longhorns since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
