The Murrieta Mesa Rams are taking a road trip to challenge the Great Oak Wolfpack at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Murrieta Mesa is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
Murrieta Mesa lost 8-2 to Vista Murrieta on Friday.
Murrieta Mesa saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Keegan Williams, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Great Oak). They blew past Temecula Valley 13-5 on Friday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Tyler Bussey looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Great Oak got a massive performance out of Sam Pink, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave Pink a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Valenzuela, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Great Oak kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Great Oak pushed their record up to 11-14 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Murrieta Mesa, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Murrieta Mesa has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Great Oak struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Murrieta Mesa beat Great Oak 4-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
