The Minarets Mustangs will square off against the Chavez Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Minarets sitting on six straight wins and Chavez on four.
Minarets is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Santa Maria 7-6.
Jamie Spurgeon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Spurgeon was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, Torin Wolf was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Renzo Conti was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Chavez got the win against McLane on Tuesday by a conclusive 8-2. Considering the Titans have won nine matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Minarets, Chavez also got a great game from a two-way player: Daniel Carrillo. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Carrillo has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single hit in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
In other pitching news, Christian Carino looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jayden Popoy, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Chavez hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive contests.
Chavez's victory bumped their record up to 16-11-1. As for Minarets, their win bumped their record up to 22-8-1.
Everything went Minarets' way against Chavez when the teams last played back in March of 2018, as Minarets made off with a 7-1 victory. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Titans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
