The Valley Christian Warriors will take on the Bellarmine College Prep Bells at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Valley Christian's hitters haven't had much luck over their past four contests, but Tuesday's matchup will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Friday, Valley Christian didn't have quite enough to beat Saint Francis and fell 2-1.
Brock Ketelsen was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and one run.
Ketelsen wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Quinten Marsh, who went 2-for-4 with one double.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Bellarmine College Prep ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They came out on top against Homestead by a score of 2-1 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The Bells haven't had any issues with the Mustangs recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Noah Liu led a balanced Bells bullpen and tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave Liu a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
On the hitting side, Hudson Reid was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. That stolen base was his first of the season.
Bellarmine College Prep's victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bellarmine College Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Valley Christian took their win against Bellarmine College Prep in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-0. Will Valley Christian repeat their success, or does Bellarmine College Prep has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
