Oakland Tech had lost three straight at home, but on Friday they dropped down to 6-7 to make it four. They lost 8-2 to the Encinal Jets. The Bulldogs were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Jets apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in March of 2022.
Elijah Rucker
| 02/21/26 vs Washington | 2 |
| 04/03/26 vs Encinal | 1 |
| 02/27/26 @ Albany | 1 |
Elijah Rucker was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. He has become a key player for Oakland Tech: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least one home run, but 4-6 otherwise.
As for Encinal, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 12-2. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games.
On Encinal's side, Enzi-Yaw Otieku made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Otieku was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
In other pitching news, Kyle Cooke tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Evan Furuichi and Kainoa Otenbriet did most of the damage at the plate: Furuichi went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Otenbriet went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That's the most runs Furuichi has posted since back in May of 2025. Zach Pippen was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Oakland Tech will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on McClymonds at 4:00 p.m. on the 13th. As for Encinal, they will challenge Alameda at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
