El Modena is 1-9 against Villa Park since March of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Vanguards will face off against the Spartans at 7:00 p.m. El Modena's pitching crew has only allowed 2.2 runs per game this season, so Villa Park's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Friday as neither El Modena nor Brea Olinda made it on the board until the seventh inning. The Vanguards had just enough and edged out the Wildcats 3-2. While the Vanguards didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Cash Ferinac spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Matthew Gutierrez, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Isaac Silva, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
El Modena hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive matchups.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Villa Park and El Dorado had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Spartans fell just short of the Golden Hawks by a score of 4-2 on Friday. That's two games in a row now that the Spartans have lost by exactly two runs.
Jack McGuire was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off four hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Villa Park saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Justin Lopez, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Villa Park's loss dropped their record down to 7-4-1. As for El Modena, their record now sits at 9-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. El Modena has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Villa Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
El Modena came up short against Villa Park in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, falling 5-1. Can the Vanguards avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
