vs
| 03/04/25 - Home | 1-4 L |
| 03/15/24 - Away | 7-1 W |
| 03/13/24 - Home | 2-3 L |
| 04/07/23 - Home | 2-1 W |
| 04/05/23 - Away | 14-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Mariposa County is 8-2 against Denair since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 3:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Mariposa County barely beat Waterford the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Grizzlies never let the Wildcats get on the board and left with an 11-0 win last Friday. With that victory, the Grizzlies brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Laten Butler was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February. Reid Allison also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Mariposa County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .658. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Denair). They blew past Stone Ridge Christian 18-9 last Friday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Coyotes.
Kyle Sorensen and Thomas Lundquist were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Sorensen pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Lundquist pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Sorensen got on base in three of his six plate appearances with two runs, while Lundquist went 1-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Noah Lundquist, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Denair is 5-0-1 when Lundquist posts two or more runs, but 4-7 otherwise. Another was Brayden Hart, who got on base in four of his three plate appearances.
Mariposa County is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Denair, their record now sits at 9-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mariposa County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Denair struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mariposa County couldn't quite get it done against Denair when the teams last played back in March as they fell 4-1. Can the Grizzlies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
