Baseball Game Preview: Santa Monica Vikings vs. Hawthorne Cougars

For the second straight game, Santa Monica will face off against Hawthorne. The Vikings will welcome the Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Santa Monica is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Santa Monica was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Hawthorne on Tuesday. The Vikings blew past the Cougars 14-1. Considering the Vikings have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Gavin Kirtley

Batters Struck Out

04/01/25 @ Hawthorne	8
03/20/25 @ Beverly Hills	6
03/07/25 vs Capistrano Valley Christian	2
03/01/25 vs Oakwood	7
02/21/25 vs Highland	13

Gavin Kirtley looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February.

At the plate, Blue Hunter and Jaxson Ehlers did most of the damage at the plate: Hunter scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Ehlers scored a run while going 2-for-3. Jack Waterstone was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-1.

Santa Monica's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Hawthorne, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-8.