The Gunderson Grizzlies will square off against the Monta Vista Matadors at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gunderson's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Independence as they made off with an 18-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Grizzlies in their matchups with the 76ers: they've now won five in a row.
Jordan Avila 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 seven over four innings pitched. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Gunderson is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 3-6 otherwise. Avila was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Brandon Salgado
| 04/10/25 @ Independence | 5 |
| 03/11/25 @ Yerba Buena | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs Mt. Pleasant | 2 |
| 03/20/25 @ Silver Creek | 2 |
| 03/04/25 @ San Jose | 2 |
In other batting news, Brandon Salgado was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Cash Duffy-Smith was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
Gunderson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .606. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Monta Vista made easy work of Lynbrook on Thursday and carried off an 11-2 win.
Like Gunderson, Monta Vista also got a great game from a two-way player: Sravik Sajja. On the mound, he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Sajja has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while going 4-for-5.
In other batting news, Joseph Murai was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Van Chow, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and two RBI.
Gunderson's victory bumped their record up to 6-7. As for Monta Vista, their win bumped their record up to 11-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gunderson has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Monta Vista struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Gunderson's way against Monta Vista in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, as Gunderson made off with a 17-2 victory. Will the Grizzlies repeat their success, or do the Matadors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
