Baseball Game Preview: Merced Bears vs. Buchanan Bears

Merced will head out to face off against Buchanan at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Merced took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with an 8-5 victory over Los Banos. The win was some much needed relief for the Bears as it spelled an end to their six-game losing streak.

Bryce Jimenez

Runs

03/02/26 vs Modesto	3
03/27/26 vs Los Banos	2
03/23/26 vs Los Banos	2
03/16/26 @ El Capitan	1

The team relied heavily on Bryce Jimenez, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Merced is 2-1 when Jimenez posts two or more runs, but 0-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Luis Pineda, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double.

Meanwhile, Buchanan was able to grind out a solid victory over Liberty on Tuesday, taking the game 8-5.

Merced's win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 2-9. As for Buchanan, their record is now 4-6.