Green Mountain is 1-9 against Golden since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Rams will look to defend their home field against the Demons at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Saturday, Green Mountain needed a bit of extra time to put away Pomona. They walked away with an 8-3 win over the Panthers. The Rams haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Demetreus Padilla was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Corbin Wade was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Hudson Burke was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Green Mountain was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pomona only posted a batting average of .259.
Meanwhile, Golden had already won 11 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they went ahead and made it 12 on Saturday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Farmers a 14-0 shutout. Considering the Demons have won ten matches by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Green Mountain, Golden also got a great game from a two-way player: Dylan Paulson. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Paulson was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Austin Maleki looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, Jaydon Stroup was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Casali, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Golden's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Green Mountain, their win bumped their record up to 12-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Green Mountain has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Golden 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.
Green Mountain came up short against Golden when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 12-9. Can the Rams avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
