Tulare Union hasn't had much luck against Tulare Western recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Tribe will look to defend their home field against the Mustangs at 7:00 p.m.
Tulare Union is headed into Monday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Friday. They came up short against Dinuba, falling 12-2. Surprisingly, this marked the Tribe's third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.
Brayden Stevenson
| 05/09/25 vs Dinuba | 2 |
| 05/07/25 vs Mission Oak | 1 |
| 05/02/25 @ Hanford | 1 |
Tulare Union saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Stevenson, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. Stevenson is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Tulare Western). They put the hurt on Lemoore with a sharp 13-1 victory on Friday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
William Masterson made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Masterson was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Tulare Western is undefeated when Masterson posts three or more RBI, but 8-12-1 otherwise.
In other pitching news, Luke Rice looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Chi'El Sanchez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. He has become a key player for Tulare Western: the team is 4-1-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 9-11 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Sanderson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs.
Tulare Western always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .607. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Tulare Western is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 13-12-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Tulare Union, their loss dropped their record down to 7-18-1.
Tulare Union skirted past Tulare Western 3-2 when the teams last played two weeks ago. Will the Tribe repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
