The Independence Patriots will square off against the La Joya Community Fighting Lobos at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, Independence made easy work of Washington and carried off a 15-9 win. That's two games straight that the Patriots have won by exactly six runs.
Ivan Marrufo and Sebastian Sandoval did most of the damage at the plate: Marrufo went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one triple, while Sandoval scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. That triple was Marrufo's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Noel Calderon, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, La Joya Community got the win against Glendale on Thursday by a conclusive 16-6. The victory continues a trend for the Fighting Lobos in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won three in a row.
La Joya Community let Saul Chairez and Aidan Escobedo run wild. Chairez scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Escobedo scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. La Joya Community is undefeated when Chairez posts two or more runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Jordan Russell was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
La Joya Community hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive games.
La Joya Community pushed their record up to 9-5 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Independence, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Independence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Joya Community struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Independence's way against La Joya Community when the teams last played back in February of 2017, as Independence made off with a 16-10 victory. Do the Patriots have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Fighting Lobos turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
