The Caldwell Cougars will take on the Payette Pirates at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Caldwell will be strutting in after a victory while Payette will be coming in after a defeat.
Caldwell took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Nampa get on the board and left with a 2-0 win. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Caldwell's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Hunter Milligan, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Milligan also put up a double, which was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Payette lost 16-3 to Fruitland on Wednesday. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jaxon Rodriguez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in both of his plate appearances.
Payette now has a losing record of 5-6. As for Caldwell, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Caldwell has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Payette struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Caldwell skirted past Payette 7-6 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pirates turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
