The Dublin Gaels will square off against the Arroyo Dons at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Dublin has five straight wins, Arroyo has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Dublin proved they can win big on Wednesday (they won by eight) and on Thursday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Livermore. While the Gaels didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Andrew Zorinich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Evan Salvador, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. That triple was his first of the season. Matthew Phelps was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Arroyo came up short against Newark Memorial on Tuesday and fell 10-6.
CJ Marquez and Justin Nelson stepped up to the plate in a big way. Marquez went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while Nelson went 2-for-4 with one triple and one run. The dominant performance gave Marquez a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabe De La Cruz, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Dublin's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Arroyo, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.
Arroyo's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Dublin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. It's a different story for Arroyo, though, as they've only averaged .211. Will they be able to contain Dublin's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
