Baseball Preview: Verdugo Hills Dons vs. Monroe Vikings
Verdugo Hills is 8-2 against Monroe since April of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Verdugo Hills Dons will look to defend their home field against the Monroe Vikings at 2:00 p.m. Verdugo Hills' pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Monroe's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Verdugo Hills is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Legacy just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 6-5.
Cooper Savage was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Sebastian Herrarte made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Justin McCubbin, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Monroe had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 2.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They had just enough and edged the Vipers out 2-1. That's two games straight that Monroe has won by just one run.
Monroe's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Erick Castillo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Verdugo Hills' defeat dropped their record down to 11-10. As for Monroe, their victory bumped their record up to 12-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Verdugo Hills has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Monroe struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Verdugo Hills took their win against Monroe when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 13-0. Will Verdugo Hills repeat their success, or does Monroe have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
