The Sacramento Dragons will venture away from home to square off against the Highlands Scots at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Sacramento has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight losses, while Highlands will come in with four straight wins.
The home team had won the previous six meetings between Sacramento and Johnson, and Johnson kept the tradition alive. The Dragons took a 13-9 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Warriors last Friday.
Sacramento saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Malcolm Ruvalcaba, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Another was Kaden Saelee, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Highlands came out on top against Sacramento Country Day on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fourth inning. The Scots blew past the Cavaliers 8-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Scots have posted against the Cavaliers since April 20, 2022.
Highlands let Carlos Lopez-Vega and Najee Walker run wild. Lopez-Vega went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Walker went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Walker has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jason Vasquez, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Highlands' win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Sacramento, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Sacramento has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Highlands struggles in that department as they've been averaging 14.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Sacramento got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in March of 2020 against Highlands by a conclusive 8-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Dragons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
