The Rancho Bernardo Broncos will face off against the Patrick Henry Patriots at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Rancho Bernardo 3.6, Patrick Henry 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Rancho Bernardo is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They never let Southwest EC get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. The Broncos might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by seven runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Noah Villa's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brody Brehm and Brady Strachan did most of the damage at the plate: Brehm went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI, while Strachan went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most RBI Brehm has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Hugo Gonzalez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Rancho Bernardo always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southwest EC only posted an OBP of .269.
Meanwhile, Patrick Henry suffered their biggest defeat since April 22nd on Friday. They lost 13-3 to Cathedral Catholic. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Patriots, who until this game were averaging 3.45 runs allowed.
Patrick Henry saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Parks Kronk-Hawley, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Patrick Henry's loss ended a six-game streak of away wins and brought them to 20-9. As for Rancho Bernardo, their victory bumped their record up to 19-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Rancho Bernardo hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.2 home runs per game. However, it's not like Patrick Henry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Rancho Bernardo came up short against Patrick Henry in their previous matchup on Wednesday, falling 6-3. Can the Broncos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
