Linden is 9-1 against Calaveras since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Linden Lions will look to defend their home field against the Calaveras Red Hawks at 4:00 p.m. Calaveras took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Linden, who comes in off a win.
Linden took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Tokay 3-2.
Justin Sales
| 03/07/25 @ Liberty Ranch | 2 |
| 03/11/25 vs Tokay | 1 |
| 02/18/25 @ Escalon | 1 |
Linden got a great performance from Justin Sales as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Linden is 4-1 when Sales allowsone or fewer earned runs, but 1-2 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Braden Busalacchi, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Calaveras was a bit more limited in their match on Friday. They came up short against Argonaut, falling 10-2.
Calaveras saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Evan Janssen, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Linden pushed their record up to 5-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Calaveras, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Linden has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Calaveras struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Linden came out on top in a nail-biter against Calaveras in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Does Linden have another victory up their sleeve, or will Calaveras turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
