The Central Valley Hawks will challenge the Oakdale Mustangs at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Central Valley sitting on seven straight victories and Oakdale on five.
While Central Valley's win against Los Banos wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Hawks skirted past the Tigers 5-3.
Meanwhile, Oakdale got themselves on the board against Los Banos on Tuesday, but Los Banos never followed suit. They blew past the Tigers 11-0. Considering the Mustangs have won nine matches by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ayden Ardis was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Eric Velazquez was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played. Griffin Costa was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Oakdale pushed their record up to 17-9 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Central Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 17-7.
Central Valley beat Oakdale 6-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
