The Tustin Tillers will challenge the Laguna Hills Hawks at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Tustin has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since March 4.
Tustin fell victim to Crean Lutheran and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Saints by a score of 1-0. That's two games in a row now that the Tillers have lost by just one run.
Tustin got a good showing from Andrew Lechuga, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Laguna Hills). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Santa Ana Valley a 21-0 shutout on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Christian Sigaty and Jake Kahl made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Sigaty pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Kahl tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). At the plate, Sigaty scored three runs while going 2-for-4, while Kahl scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Laguna Hills is undefeated when Sigaty posts two or more runs, but 6-7 otherwise.
In other pitching news, Chris Cooke looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Back at the plate, Truett Kordes was a standout: he scored two runs while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Nate Medina was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Laguna Hills was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .525. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
The win made it two in a row for Laguna Hills and bumps their season record up to 9-7. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.5 runs over those games. As for Tustin, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-12-1.
Tustin came up short against Laguna Hills when the teams last played back in March, falling 4-1. Will the Tillers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
