Independence is a perfect 6-0 against South since February of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Independence Falcons will take on the South Spartans in a tournament on Monday. Independence is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.
Independence picked up another tournament win on Saturday. They put the hurt on Chavez with a sharp 11-1 win. Fans of the Falcons have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Brandon Gutierrez
| 03/01/25 @ Chavez | 8 |
| 05/16/24 @ Taft | 6 |
| 02/17/24 @ Arvin | 5 |
| 05/02/24 @ Stockdale | 4 |
| 02/13/24 @ Arvin | 4 |
Brandon Gutierrez was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, David Baralt Portillo was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and one run. Isaiah Guzman was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Independence always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chavez only posted an OBP of .320.
Meanwhile, South got themselves on the board against Kennedy on Saturday, but Kennedy never followed suit. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over the Thunderbirds.
The result came thanks to Tomas Encinas's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Josh Encinas, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Julien Espinoza, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Independence's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for South, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Independence took their victory against South in their previous matchup back in February of 2023 by a conclusive 12-2. Does Independence have another victory up their sleeve, or will South turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
