The Torrey Pines Falcons will head out to square off against the St. Augustine Saints at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Torrey Pines' pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so St. Augustine's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Torrey Pines was handed a ten-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Bonita Vista 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Falcons have posted since May 17, 2024.
Jason Jutronich spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Torrey Pines saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Stroot, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Torrey Pines hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bonita Vista struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, St. Augustine hadn't done well against Eastlake recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. St. Augustine walked away with a 6-2 win over Eastlake. The victory was familiar territory for the Saints, who have now won four contests in a row.
Ryan Popkins tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because St. Augustine is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nathan Balkenbush, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Another player making a difference was Mikey Ruiz, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Torrey Pines has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. St. Augustine now has a winning record of 5-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday 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 St. Augustine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
