The Duarte Falcons will challenge the Baldwin Park Braves at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Duarte's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Baldwin Park has been banged up by 11 consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Duarte and Sierra Vista meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Falcons blew past the Dons 12-1. The result was nothing new for the Falcons, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Alyssa Garcia made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double. That double marked the first that she hit this season.
In other batting news, Duarte got a massive performance out of Valeria Hinajosa, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Daniella Matiarena, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Duarte lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Baldwin Park fell victim to Nogales and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They came up short against the Nobles, falling 13-0.
Duarte is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.4 runs over those games. As for Baldwin Park, their loss dropped their record down to 0-12.
Baldwin Park's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Duarte has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .488. It's a different story for Baldwin Park, though, as they've only averaged .305. Will they be able to contain Duarte's hitters?
Duarte took their win against Baldwin Park when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 31-0 score. Will the Falcons repeat their success, or do the Braves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
