The MacDonald Condor will face off against the Santa Clara Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. MacDonald has given up an average of 15.4 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Thursday just wasn't the day for MacDonald's offense. They came up short against Saratoga on Thursday, falling 16-0. The Condor's defeat continues a trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara made easy work of Monta Vista on Thursday and carried off a 14-3 victory. The Bruins might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.
Andrew Traffas made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-5. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Santa Clara got a massive performance out of Jaxton Chao, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI. Chao has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last four times he's played. Drew Diffenderfer was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
Santa Clara always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Monta Vista only posted an OBP of .211.
Santa Clara is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-3 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for MacDonald, their loss dropped their record down to 1-13.
MacDonald suffered a grim 16-0 defeat to Santa Clara in their previous matchup back in March. Will the Condor have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
