The Kennedy Commanders will head out on the road to challenge the Jefferson Saints at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Kennedy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
On Friday, Kennedy beat Denver West 7-3. The win continues a trend for the Commanders in their matchups with the Cowboys: they've now won five in a row.
Damian Ortiz was incredible, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3. He also brought in two RBI, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Dylan Nielsen, who scored a run while going 4-for-4.
Kennedy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Denver West only posted an OBP of .375.
Meanwhile, Jefferson came up short against Fort Lupton on Monday and fell 17-13.
Demetrius Martinez was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and nine unearned) runs off four hits. Martinez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Jefferson is 2-1 when Martinez posts two or more runs, but 1-5 otherwise.
In other batting news, AJ Alvarado was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in four of his six plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Jefferson's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Ed Sanchez, who scored a run while going 1-for-5.
Kennedy picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 3-5. As for Jefferson, they dropped their record down to 3-6 with the loss, which was their third straight at home.
Jefferson's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kennedy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .379. It's a different story for Jefferson, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Kennedy's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
