The Paraclete Spirits will head out on the road to take on the Royal Highlanders at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
As a matter of fact, Paraclete put up the most runs they have all season on Wednesday. They came out on top against Castaic by a score of 12-7. The victory was some much needed relief for the Spirits as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Antonio Longobardi was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jesse Hernandez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Royal got themselves on the board against Highland on Thursday, but Highland never followed suit. They blew past the Bulldogs 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won seven matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Dustin Dunnwoody looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Zachary Nagy, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Noah Vasquez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two doubles.
Royal was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .444. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Royal pushed their record up to 14-2 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Paraclete, their record is now 5-10.
Paraclete couldn't quite get it done against Royal in their previous matchup back in June of 2021 as they fell 4-1. Can the Spirits avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
