The Bishop O'Dowd Dragons will square off against the El Cerrito Gauchos at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Last Saturday, Bishop O'Dowd came up short against Rodriguez and fell 11-7. The Dragons have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Bishop O'Dowd got a good showing from Benjie Sharman, who didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave Sharman a new career-high in strikeouts (two).
Rashad Hayes
| 03/01/25 @ Rodriguez | 3 |
| 02/25/25 @ Archie Williams | 2 |
| 05/03/24 @ Alameda | 1 |
| 05/01/24 @ Alameda | 1 |
| 04/26/24 vs Piedmont | 1 |
At the plate, Rashad Hayes stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Evan Garrison, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
While El Cerrito didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Santa Rosa on Monday. That looming 11-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Gauchos yet this season.
El Cerrito got a massive performance out of Jaxon Coles, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those doubles were Coles' first of the season. Kamal Bhatt was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3.
El Cerrito 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.
El Cerrito pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop O'Dowd, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop O'Dowd has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like El Cerrito struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop O'Dowd might still be hurting after the 7-1 loss they got from El Cerrito in their previous matchup back in March of 2016. Will Bishop O'Dowd have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
