The Rosary Academy Royals are taking a road trip to challenge the El Modena Vanguards at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rosary Academy will be looking to extend their current 17-game winning streak.
Rosary Academy is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Bonita as they made off with an 8-2 win. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 matches by six runs or more this season.
Ava Phillips tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 18 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Hayden Huerta, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February. Audrinah 'Boo Boo' Barajas also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Eight must be El Modena's lucky number: they beat Pacifica with that score not once but twice on Thursday. The Vanguards beat the Mariners by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Vanguards.
Kaitlyn Galasso was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Julianna Brower, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances.
El Modena hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pacifica struck out seven times.
Rosary Academy's victory was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 26-2-1. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for El Modena, their record now sits at 20-8.
El Modena's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rosary Academy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .489. It's a different story for El Modena, though, as they've only averaged .326. Will they be able to contain Rosary Academy's hitters?
Rosary Academy took their victory against El Modena in their previous meeting back in May of 2021 by a conclusive 9-1 score. Will the Royals repeat their success, or do the Vanguards have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.