Archbishop Riordan hasn't had much luck against Junipero Serra recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Crusaders will welcome the Padres at 4:00 p.m.
On Saturday, Archbishop Riordan came up short against Bellarmine College Prep and fell 7-2.
DJ Sanchez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run. He also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Junipero Serra). They blew past Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory 17-5 on Saturday. With that win, the Padres brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Kelley Crawford looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
At the plate, Aaron Minton was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Harrison, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI.
Junipero Serra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .608. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Junipero Serra's victory was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 20-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Archbishop Riordan, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-15-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Archbishop Riordan hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Junipero Serra struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Archbishop Riordan might still be hurting after the 12-0 loss they got from Junipero Serra when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will the Crusaders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
