While Branham couldn't quite beat Pioneer on Thursday, the two-point margin was a huge improvement compared to the eight-point loss they were dealt last Tuesday. The Branham Bruins fell just short of the Pioneer Mustangs by a score of 10-8. Branham has not had much luck with Pioneer recently, as the team's come up short the last four times they've met.
Devin Gonzales was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Ryan Nickelson-Stamer, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
On Pioneer's side, Andre Valdespino made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Valdespino was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Pioneer let Noah Morales and Jayden Goodrich loose on the outfield. Morales went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Goodrich scored two runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Andrew Watters, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-5.
Branham's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-4. As for Pioneer, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Branham will face off against Milpitas at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Milpitas will roll in looking for their fourth straight win, something Branham surely won't give up without a fight. As for Pioneer, they will head out on the road to take on Live Oak at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
