The Weston Ranch Cougars will square off against the Denair Coyotes at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Weston Ranch made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Gustine, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Weston Ranch put the hurt on Gustine with a sharp 17-7 win on Thursday. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by eight runs or more this season.
Baylee Santiago
| 02/27/25 @ Gustine | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs Delhi | 2 |
| 02/20/25 @ Waterford | 1 |
| 02/19/25 vs Gustine | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Waterford | 2 |
Baylee Santiago was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances. Santiago is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's stole at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Mya Harrison, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Weston Ranch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .587. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Denair). They were the clear victor by a 28-9 margin over Elliot Christian on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Makayla Dayton made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Braelyn Marroquin was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 2.2 runs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Nilsson, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles.
The win made it two in a row for Denair and bumps their season record up to 3-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.5 runs over those games. As for Weston Ranch, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1.
Monday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Weston Ranch has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .567. However, it's not like Denair struggles in that department as they've averaged .520. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Weston Ranch was able to grind out a solid win over Denair when the teams last played back in February of 2024, winning 19-15. Will Weston Ranch repeat their success, or does Denair have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
