Estacada has won three straight games at home, while Molalla has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Monday. The Rangers will host the Indians at 5:00 p.m. One thing working in Estacada's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last four games.
While Estacada didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They put the hurt on Seaside with a sharp 14-3 victory on Thursday.
Paul Ables made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Ables was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Will Olson and Blake Barger did most of the damage at the plate: Olson scored two runs and stole four bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Barger scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Connor Crawford was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Estacada kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Molalla ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They had just enough and edged out North Marion 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Indians have posted since April 11, 2024.
Like Estacada, Molalla also got a great game from a two-way player: Dillon Shultz. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over 4.2 innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave Shultz a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Nyxon Hopping was incredible, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Garrett Brusseau, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5.
Estacada has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Molalla, their win bumped their record up to 8-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Estacada has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Molalla struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Estacada came up short against Molalla in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 7-2. Can the Rangers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
