The Merced Bears will be playing at home against the Hughson Huskies at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Merced can finally bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Thursday. They were the clear victor by an 8-2 margin over Patterson.
Riley Dickey was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. Dylan Ferriera was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Hughson had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they went ahead and made it four on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 8-5.
Isaac Lupercio looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (he also only allowed one walk).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Beau Blake, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was JC Lupercio, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Merced's victory bumped their record up to 11-7. As for Hughson, their win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Merced has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hughson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Merced came up short against Hughson in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 4-1. Can Merced avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
