King is 1-9 against University Prep since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Knights will be playing at home against the Pumas at 5:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.
King's is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They never let Kalama get on the board and left with a 19-0 victory on Saturday. With that win, the Knights brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Bodey Reiss and Luke Helton were major factors while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Reiss pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Helton tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Reiss has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At the plate, Reiss got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one RBI, while Helton went 2-for-5 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI Helton has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, John Bjella was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run. Daniel Binkley also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
King's kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, University Prep earned a 6-3 victory over South Whidbey on Wednesday.
Like King's, University Prep also got a great game from a two-way player: Owen Bradley. He struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Bradley was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
In other batting news, Noah Keppler was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs. Wade Suess was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run.
King's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-4. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for University Prep, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
University Prep's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: King's hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. It's a different story for University Prep, though, as they've only averaged .198. Will they be able to contain King's hitters?
King's skirted past University Prep 3-2 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pumas turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
