It'll be a Battle of the Birds when Torrey Pines Falcons challenge Granite Hills Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Torrey Pines's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Granite Hills's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Torrey Pines' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Vista Grande 6-0. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won four matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Torrey Pines' win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jack Swanberg, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. That's the most RBI Swanberg has posted since back in April of 2024. Camden Nishnick also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Granite Hills earned a 7-2 victory over Patrick Henry on Wednesday.
Luke Bailey tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Parker Vance, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Miotti, who scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Granite Hills' win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Torrey Pines, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Torrey Pines has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Granite Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Torrey Pines beat Granite Hills 3-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
