The Hollister Haybalers will head out on the road to take on the Piedmont Hills Pirates at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Hollister put up the most runs they have all season on Thursday. They came out on top against Carmel by a score of 12-9. The win was some much needed relief for the Haybalers as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Hollister got a big performance out of Evan Mendoza, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Anthony Bolin also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Hollister always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .575. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Piedmont Hills made easy work of Del Mar on Thursday and carried off a 21-2 victory. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by seven runs or more this season.
Alex Tran made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. He was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Piedmont Hills' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-6 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Jake Paskert was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and four runs. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Travis Linane, who scored four runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
The win made it two in a row for Piedmont Hills and bumps their season record up to 6-6. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.5 runs over those games. As for Hollister, their record now sits at 8-5.
