SAN JOSE - A trio of Branham pitchers teamed up to stifle the Lincoln lineup on Thursday afternoon, allowing the Bruins to escape with a hard-fought 3-1 victory.
Junior Jacob Dressler allowed just four hits and one run in three innings, after getting the start, and the bullpen slammed the door from there, after the teams entered the bottom of the fourth inning tied at one. Senior Jacob Lares picked up the win for the Bruins (4-4-1), tossing three scoreless innings in relief of Dressler, while Branham pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Lares allowed just one hit, did not walk a batter, and the defense played flawlessly behind him, allowing the senior to face just one batter above the minimum for his stint.
Sophomores Carter Jones, Connor McElroy, and Cameron Rynhard led the way for the offense with two hits apiece. Jones also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, while McElroy and junior Max Orkin doubled. Sophomore Ethan Norris took the hill in the seventh inning to notch the save, setting the Lions down in order, striking out one of the three hitters he faced.
Branham is scheduled to play at Prospect on Saturday morning, while Lincoln (3-4) is scheduled to host Evergreen Valley on Friday, weather permitting.
