Baseball Recap: Anthem Prep Finds Home Field Redemption Against Valley Lutheran

Eagles

Margin (Wins)

04/11/25 @ Mountainside	34
04/19/25 @ Valley Lutheran	23
04/07/25 @ Salome	18
03/20/25 @ Maryvale Prep	13
03/17/25 vs Salome	12

There's no place like home for Anthem Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Valley Lutheran Flames on Thursday. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by eight runs or more this season.

Jaxon MacHugh made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He is becoming a predictor of Anthem Prep's success: when he posts at least eight strikeouts the team is undefeated (and 4-8 when he doesn't). MacHugh was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.

In other batting news, Ricky Orta was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. He has become a key player for Anthem Prep: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 5-7 otherwise. Matthew Starr was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs, and two RBI.

Anthem Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Anthem Prep is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Valley Lutheran, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-7.

We've got plenty of inter-region action coming up soon. Anthem Prep will face off against rival Bagdad at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Valley Lutheran is set to take on their familiar foe Desert Heights Prep at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday.