The Triad Cardinals will head out to take on the Ridgemont Golden Gophers at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Triad needed a bit of extra time to put away Emmanuel Christian Academy. They won by a run and slipped past the Lions 6-5.
Brant Bollack
| 05/09/25 vs Emmanuel Christian Academy | 4 |
| 05/15/24 @ Russia | 2 |
| 05/08/24 vs Ridgemont | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Fairbanks | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Fairbanks | 1 |
Brant Bollack made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adler Perry, who went 3-for-5 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Braydan Hoffman, who got three hits from his four at bats.
Triad always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Ridgemont came out on top against Temple Christian on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fourth inning. The Golden Gophers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Pioneers a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Golden Gophers have won seven matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Jayden Sifrit was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Ridgemont is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-10 otherwise. Sifrit was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Sifrit wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Xavier Stuck, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Stuck is becoming a predictor of Ridgemont's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 4-1 (and 4-10 when he doesn't).
Ridgemont has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-11 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Triad, their record is now 4-14-1.
Triad was able to grind out a solid win over Ridgemont when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
