Half Moon Bay is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Wednesday. They will be playing in front of their home fans against the Menlo-Atherton Bears at 4:00 p.m. Half Moon Bay is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.4 runs per game this season.
Half Moon Bay's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over University. The high-scoring effort was just what the Cougars needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Kylie King made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Bailey Gunning was excellent, scoring three runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February. Miya Wooden was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Half Moon Bay was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .450. They are 3-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Menlo-Atherton unfortunately witnessed the end of their six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 15-1 to Woodside. The match marked the Bears' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Menlo-Atherton saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Olivia Rodgers, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
The victory got Half Moon Bay back to even at 6-6. As for Menlo-Atherton, their loss dropped their record down to 8-3.
Wednesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Half Moon Bay has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .474. However, it's not like Menlo-Atherton struggles in that department as they've averaged .458. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Half Moon Bay couldn't quite finish off Menlo-Atherton when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
