The Winters Warriors will face off against the Paradise Bobcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Winters has 13 straight victories, Paradise has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Winters came out on top against Willows on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run fourth inning. The Warriors were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Honkers.
Lane Brown made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Sebastian Rodriguez was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Miles Mariani, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Winters was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Willows only posted a batting average of .143.
Meanwhile, Paradise suffered their closest defeat since March 12th on Wednesday. They fell just short of Durham by a score of 7-5.
Like Winters, Paradise also got a great game from a two-way player: Aydrik Stolz. On the mound, he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned (and five unearned) runs off six hits. Stolz was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Stolz wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tony Mejia, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Quincy Miller also deserves some recognition as he got his first hits of the season.
Winters pushed their record up to 14-9 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Paradise, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Winters has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Paradise struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Winters took their win against Paradise in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 16-2 score. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Bobcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
