Linden will face off against Big Valley Christian at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Linden has eight straight victories, Big Valley Christian has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Linden beats Big Valley Christian with nine runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Lions came out on top against Calaveras by a score of 9-5 on Friday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since February 25, 2022, but that streak is no more.
Linden got a great performance from Matthew Schallberger as he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). Schallberger has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Nikko Vigna was excellent, scoring a run while going 1-for-4. Jonah Craven was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Big Valley Christian suffered their closest loss since February 25th on Thursday. They fell just short of Summerville by a score of 5-3.
Jackson Howell made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. Jonathan Anderson also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Linden pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Big Valley Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Linden has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Big Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Linden took their win against Big Valley Christian in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 11-1 score. Does Linden have another victory up their sleeve, or will Big Valley Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
