The Folsom Bulldogs will square off against the McClatchy Lions at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Folsom proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 15) and on Monday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Gridley 4-2.
Alex Blount made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Folsom's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 4-2 (and 2-12 when he doesn't). Blount was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Ben Bowers
| 04/14/25 vs Gridley | 7 |
| 04/19/24 @ Whitney | 4 |
| 03/25/24 vs Union Mine | 4 |
| 04/12/24 @ Del Oro | 3 |
| 04/06/24 @ Rocklin | 3 |
In other pitching news, Ben Bowers tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Blount wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Gavin Tietz, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Devin Schuster also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, McClatchy never let their opponents score on Monday. They blew past Lassen 12-0. Considering the Lions have won ten matchups by more than seven runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Folsom, McClatchy also got a great game from a two-way player: Matt Cuevas. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Cuevas has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Ryan Sandmeier was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Antonio Barber, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
McClatchy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lassen only posted an OBP of .211.
Folsom's victory bumped their record up to 6-14. As for McClatchy, their win bumped their record up to 17-3.
Folsom came up short against McClatchy when the teams last played back in March, falling 5-2. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
