vs
| 03/08/24 - Away | 4-9 L |
| 03/07/23 - Home | 3-2 W |
| 05/18/22 - Home | 4-13 L |
| 03/02/22 - Home | 4-4 T |
| 03/24/21 - Home | 2-1 W |
| + 2 more games |
West Hills and Mater Dei Catholic are an even 3-3-1 against one another since March of 2017, but likely not for long. The Wolf Pack will square off against the Crusaders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. West Hills is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.
Hilltop hit West Hills with a four-run fifth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wolf Pack fell just short of the Lancers by a score of 5-4.
Andy Mildenstein was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chuck Rosolino, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Mater Dei Catholic was not the first on the board last Thursday, but they got there more often. They walked away with an 8-4 win over Mira Mesa.
Oscar Duarte made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Gael Perez looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has become a key player for Mater Dei Catholic: the team is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 4-5 otherwise.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Nathan Garcia, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Noah Cook was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and one run.
Mater Dei Catholic pushed their record up to 9-5 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for West Hills, their loss dropped their record down to 1-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. West Hills has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mater Dei Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
West Hills couldn't quite get it done against Mater Dei Catholic when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 9-4. Can the Wolf Pack avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
