The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits will head out on the road to face off against the Downey Vikings at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. The last three games Long Beach Poly has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Things were looking good for Long Beach Poly after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Carson by a score of 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Jackrabbits have suffered since March 26, 2024.
Long Beach Poly got a good showing from Ryan King, who struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. That's the fewest earned runs King has allowed since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Izaiyah Gutierrez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Tate Hammond also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Downey had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Bruins. While the Vikings didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Downey's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Morise Robinson, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Samuel Mojica was another, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Downey pushed their record up to 6-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Long Beach Poly, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Long Beach Poly came out on top in a nail-biter against Downey in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. Will Long Beach Poly repeat their success, or does Downey have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
