The Soquel Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Valley Christian Warriors at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Soquel is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 15 games.
While Soquel's victory against Harbor wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Knights narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Pirates 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted against the Pirates since April 22, 2022.
Nativo Gonzalez
| 05/15/25 vs Harbor | 1 |
| 05/09/25 @ Scotts Valley | 0 |
| 04/18/25 @ San Lorenzo Valley | 1 |
Soquel got a great performance from Nativo Gonzalez as he struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Gonzalez has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Noah Piona was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Whelan, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Valley Christian's good fortune finally ran out on Thursday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-1), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat they have suffered since May 22, 2024.
Valley Christian also got a good showing from Rohan Kasanagottu, who tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Soquel pushed their record up to 25-1 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 23-6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Soquel has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Soquel skirted past Valley Christian 1-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2015. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
