The Shadow Mountain Matadors will venture away from home to challenge the Paradise Honors Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Shadow Mountain is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Shadow Mountain and Moon Valley, and Moon Valley kept the tradition alive. The Matadors fell 9-4 to the Rockets on Tuesday.
Jack Zauner was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 11 over 4.1 innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Zauner wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Alex Forkum, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Paradise Honors, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They never let Goldwater get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Tuesday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Like Shadow Mountain, Paradise Honors also got a great game from a two-way player: Michael Nicolini Jr.. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Nicolini Jr. has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Jack Moore and Boeden Forquer did most of the damage at the plate: Moore went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base, while Forquer scored a run while going 2-for-2. Moore is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaydan Herrera, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles.
Paradise Honors always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Goldwater only posted an OBP of .118.
Paradise Honors pushed their record up to 18-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Shadow Mountain, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11-1.
Both Shadow Mountain and Paradise Honors just can't seem to miss. The Matadors have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Paradise Honors struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Shadow Mountain might still be hurting after the 17-4 loss they got from Paradise Honors in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Matadors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
