The Calexico Bulldogs will head out on the road to take on the Clairemont Chieftains at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Calexico had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt Sutter on Wednesday. The Bulldogs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Huskies a 6-0 shutout. Six seems to be a good number for the Bulldogs as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Jose Ortega made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Randy Baez, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Luis Beltran was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Calexico was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Clairemont made sure to put some runs up on the board against Washington on Wednesday. The Chieftains blew past the Eagles 12-2. With that victory, the Chieftains brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Jackson Cleary looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Colton Daudet was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and one triple. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brendan Weiss, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
The win was the third in a row for Clairemont, bringing their record up to 6-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Calexico, their record is now 11-3-1.
Calexico came out on top in a nail-biter against Clairemont in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chieftains turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
