The Turlock Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the McClatchy Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Turlock will be looking to extend their current six-game winning streak.
Turlock barely beat Downey the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Bulldogs blew past the Knights 10-1 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Bulldogs have posted against the Knights since April 12, 2023.
The team relied heavily on Mason Hackler, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Jadon Boyer, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, McClatchy never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Antelope as they made off with an 11-0 win. Considering the Lions have won 14 games by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Ari Silva made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Antonio Barber was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Elias Ortega was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
McClatchy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Antelope only posted a batting average of .067.
Turlock's victory was their 17th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-6-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for McClatchy, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Turlock has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like McClatchy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Turlock skirted past McClatchy 4-2 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
