Prospect hasn't had much luck against Piedmont Hills recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Panthers will take on the Pirates at 4:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Prospect gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They had just enough and edged out Live Oak 5-4. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by just one run.
Kevin-Joseph Rieden
| 04/24/25 @ Lincoln | 6 |
| 05/01/25 vs Evergreen Valley | 5 |
| 03/29/25 @ Ann Sobrato | 5 |
| 04/15/25 vs Del Mar | 3 |
| 04/03/25 vs Oak Grove | 3 |
| + 3 more games |
Kevin-Joseph Rieden made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Prospect is 8-1 when Rieden allows three or fewer hits, but 7-8 otherwise. Rieden was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Kyle Pollace was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Piedmont Hills hadn't done well against Homestead recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. The Pirates narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Mustangs 11-10. The victory was familiar territory for the Pirates, who have now won nine matches in a row.
Like Prospect, Piedmont Hills also got a great game from a two-way player: Toby Torres. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Torres has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Julian Marin, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Josh Gomez was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Piedmont Hills kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive games.
Piedmont Hills' win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-8. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Prospect, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 15-9 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Prospect has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Piedmont Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Prospect couldn't quite finish off Piedmont Hills in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 7-5. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
