Carmel is 8-2 against Stevenson since March of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Padres will welcome the Pirates at 11:00 a.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Carmel barely beat Monterey the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Padres' pitcher stepped up to hand the Dores a 7-0 shutout on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Padres, who have now won eight matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Matt Maxon
| 04/15/25 vs St. Francis | 2 |
| 04/24/25 @ Palma | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Soledad | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Monterey | 1 |
Matt Maxon made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Carmel is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-7 otherwise. Maxon was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Michael Melnick was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one home run. That home run was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was John Beretti, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Stevenson sidestepped Pacific Grove for a 6-5 victory. The Pirates haven't had any issues with the Breakers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Flint Dickson looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Henry Blaxter, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Brady Mugan, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Stevenson's victory bumped their record up to 12-6. As for Carmel, their win bumped their record up to 14-7.
Everything went Carmel's way against Stevenson in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as Carmel made off with a 7-1 victory. Will the Padres repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
