Baseball Game Preview: Turlock Bulldogs vs. Downey Knights

The Turlock Bulldogs will challenge the Downey Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.

Turlock proved they can win big on Saturday (they won by ten) and on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Arroyo Grande 4-3.

Mason Hackler

Earned Runs

04/26/25 vs Arroyo Grande	0
04/18/25 @ El Capitan	1
03/21/25 @ Gregori	1
03/01/25 vs East Union	1

Mason Hackler made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs.

Hackler wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jadon Boyer, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. Jude Locke also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Meanwhile, Downey won against Modesto Christian on Wednesday with seven runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Knights walked away with a 7-3 victory over Beyer.

Like Turlock, Downey also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayceon Sloan. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Sloan has become a key player for Downey: the team is 5-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 8-10 otherwise. Sloan was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and one run. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Isaiah Hernandez looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Downey is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 10-11 otherwise.

Turlock's win bumped their record up to 16-6-1. As for Downey, they now have a winning record of 13-12.

Turlock came out on top in a nail-biter against Downey when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.