The Notre Dame (SO) Knights will challenge the Stockdale Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Notre Dame (SO) 3.9, Stockdale 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Notre Dame (SO)'s usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Sierra Canyon hitters got past them. Notre Dame (SO) came up short against Sierra Canyon on Wednesday, falling 10-4. The Knights' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Jake Norolan made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Dru Wilson also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Even though they lost, Notre Dame (SO) hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Stockdale). They walked away with an 11-6 win over Clovis on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
Gabriel Borja looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Brock Johnson was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played. Charlie Ryder was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Stockdale's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Notre Dame (SO), their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.
Notre Dame (SO) beat Stockdale 6-2 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Does Notre Dame (SO) have another victory up their sleeve, or will Stockdale turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
