Baseball Game Preview: Maranatha Minutemen vs. Valley Christian Defenders

For the second straight game, Maranatha will face off against Valley Christian. The Minutemen will head out to challenge the Defenders at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Maranatha will be looking to extend their current 14-game winning streak.

On Tuesday, Maranatha earned a 6-2 win over Valley Christian.

Zach Strickland

Batters Struck Out

04/29/25 vs Valley Christian	7
04/23/25 vs Lompoc	14
04/16/25 vs Whittier Christian	13
04/08/25 @ Village Christian	6
04/01/25 @ Heritage Christian	11
+ 2 more games

Zach Strickland made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.

In other batting news, Josh Proctor was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Trevor Rivas, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.

Maranatha pushed their record up to 16-6-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Valley Christian, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 13-10.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Maranatha has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.