The Freedom Falcons are taking a road trip to take on the California Grizzlies at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Freedom sitting on three straight wins and California on five.
If Freedom beats California with nine runs on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. The Falcons blew past Antioch 9-2 on Thursday.
Caleb Emmons made a big impact 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 seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Gabe Jost was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Cruz Padilla also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Freedom was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, California gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Dougherty Valley 6-5. That's two games straight that the Grizzlies have won by just one run.
Tommy Casserly looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, California let Johnny Edwards and Nick Hubbard run wild. Edwards went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Hubbard went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Freedom's record now sits at 10-7. As for California, their record is now an identical 10-7.
Freedom beat California 4-1 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
