The University Red Devils will face off against the Urban Blues at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with University sitting on 11 straight victories and Urban on three.
On Saturday, University needed a bit of extra time to put away Woodside. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Wildcats 5-4.
The team relied heavily on Jett Messenger, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Chee, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
University was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in 13 consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Urban). Everything went their way against Making Waves Academy on Friday as they made off with a 21-9 victory. The Blues might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by seven runs or more this season.
Aaron Knupp was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Urban's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 4-5 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Kaden Fox-Gabel was incredible, going 1-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. He has become a key player for Urban: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Benji Dawes, who got on base in four of his six plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
University pushed their record up to 16-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Urban, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Urban's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: University hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .434. It's a different story for Urban, though, as they've only averaged .241. Will they be able to contain University's hitters?
Everything went University's way against Urban in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, as University made off with a 10-3 win. Do the Red Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blues turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
