The Bishop O'Dowd Dragons will square off against the Arroyo Dons at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bishop O'Dowd was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Pinole Valley on Friday. Bishop O'Dowd's pitcher stepped up to hand Pinole Valley a 10-0 shutout. Bishop O'Dowd's victory was all the more impressive since the Spartans were averaging only 3.3 runs allowed on the season.
Emma Brown
| 03/28/25 @ Pinole Valley | 7 |
| 03/13/25 vs Las Lomas | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Carondelet | 1 |
| 03/03/25 vs Redwood | 1 |
| 02/28/25 @ James Logan | 1 |
The result came thanks to Emma Brown's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up seven Ks. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaella Mercado, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted over her last 12 games. The team also got some help courtesy of Frankie Aquino, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Bishop O'Dowd was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .441. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pinole Valley only posted a batting average of .053.
Meanwhile, Arroyo made easy work of Mt. Eden on Wednesday and carried off a 10-0 win. The Dons haven't had any issues with the Monarchs recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
The result came thanks to Sadie Fernandez's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Hailey Howard was a standout: she got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two stolen bases, four RBI, and one run. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Tati Rocha was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Bishop O'Dowd is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. The victory got Arroyo back to even at 3-3.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bishop O'Dowd hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .368. However, it's not like Arroyo struggles in that department as they've averaged .392. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bishop O'Dowd skirted past Arroyo 2-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Bishop O'Dowd repeat their success, or does Arroyo has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
