The Coronado Thunderbirds will face off against the Montwood Rams at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Coronado is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Coronado will bounce into Tuesday's matchup after beating Pebble Hills, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Thunderbirds walked away with a 7-2 victory over the Spartans on Friday. The game was the first time the Thunderbirds have beaten the Spartans on their field since April 20, 2021.
Jackie Gross made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Coronado got a great performance from Kyle LaBranche as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. LaBranche has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
Anthony Rivas
| 04/11/25 @ Pebble Hills | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Franklin | 1 |
| 04/04/25 vs Eastlake | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Eastlake | 1 |
| 03/29/25 @ Socorro | 1 |
Back at the plate, Ryan Salcedo and Anthony Rivas did most of the damage at the plate: Salcedo scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Rivas scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those two hits gave Rivas a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Walt Mann, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Coronado kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pebble Hills only managed five hits.
Meanwhile, Montwood might've scored the first runs on Saturday, but it was Pebble Hills who claimed the real prize. The Rams fell just short of the Spartans by a score of 13-11. Rams fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Spartans since on Saturday.
Coronado pushed their record up to 20-9 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Montwood, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-14-2.
Coronado took their win against Montwood in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Thunderbirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
