The Morgan Hill Mudcats are still searching for offensive consistency but continue winning games.
Morgan Hill ran its Western Baseball Association mark to 4-2 last weekend with a two-game split against the San Jose Braves at Live Oak High School's Sarich Field. The Mudcats took the first game 9-4 but lost the second 11-4.
"Right now we're looking for clutch hits," Morgan Hill manager Ken Valencia said in a telephone interview Thursday. "We're hitting the ball and scoring runs, but we're not doing it as often as we'd like. We hit a couple snags in that second game."
The Mudcats rolled through the first, though, behind solid batting efforts from Morgan Hill's Jim Leninger and Gilroy's Jordan Newton. Leninger homered and Newton batted 4 for 5 as part of a 5-for-7 afternoon. They helped Morgan Hill starter Brandon Flaherty of San Jose cruise to his second victory of the season.
"Brandon pitched a great game for us," Valencia added. "He was throwing the ball well out there."
The Mudcats' offense kept stride in Game 2 but struggled when it mattered most. Morgan Hill twice went scoreless with the bases loaded.
The Mudcats return home for a doubleheader against the San Jose Rednecks on Sunday at Live Oak High School. The first game starts at 11:30 a.m.
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The road to nationals
