The Kennedy Titans will challenge the Concord Bears at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Kennedy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Kennedy will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Thursday, then bounced right back against Deer Valley on Tuesday. Kennedy blew past Deer Valley 16-2. The result was nothing new for the Titans, who have now won three contests by 14 runs or more so far this season.
Nolan Francis
| 03/18/25 @ Deer Valley | 2 |
| 03/13/25 @ Clayton Valley Charter | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ Hayward | 1 |
| 04/24/24 @ Newark Memorial | 1 |
| 04/12/24 vs Mission San Jose | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Nolan Francis, who scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Nick Owsley was another key player, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Concord was not the first on the board on Tuesday, but they got there more often. They walked away with a 5-1 win over Hayward. The victory continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Farmers: they've now won six in a row.
Max Dashner was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Concord is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise. Dashner was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Dashner wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tony Hoshida, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Concord hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in five consecutive matches.
Concord's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Kennedy, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Concord's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kennedy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .447. It's a different story for Concord, though, as they've only averaged .354. Will they be able to contain Kennedy's hitters?
Kennedy was able to grind out a solid win over Concord in their previous matchup back in March of 2016, winning 7-2. Will Kennedy repeat their success, or does Concord have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
