The Escondido Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Calexico Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Escondido is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Mission Bay 12-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Kaden Hermsen
| 05/24/25 @ Mission Bay | 2 |
| 05/07/25 @ Valley Center | 1 |
| 04/25/25 vs Ramona | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Hilltop | 2 |
Kaden Hermsen and Ryder Taylor made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Hermsen pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Taylor pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. What's more, Hermsen posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. At the plate, Hermsen got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI, while Taylor went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Escondido got a massive performance out of Andrew Carrilo, who went 3-for-5 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Makaih Gonzalez, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Escondido kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mission Bay only managed eight hits.
Meanwhile, Calexico hadn't done well against Mission Bay recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Bulldogs never let the Buccaneers get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Bulldogs sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Calexico also got a great performance from David Lara as he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. Lara has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kenneth Calderon was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Randy Baez, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Escondido's record now sits at 22-8. As for Calexico, their record is now 22-4-1.
Escondido skirted past Calexico 4-3 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
