The Monache Marauders will challenge the Bakersfield Christian Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Monache comes in on five and Bakersfield Christian on three.
Monache is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Garces Memorial 4-3. The game was the first time the Marauders have beaten the Rams on their field since March 10, 2018.
Sophia Martinez
| 05/22/25 @ Garces Memorial | 9 |
| 05/20/25 vs Kingsburg | 3 |
| 05/13/25 vs Porterville | 5 |
| 05/08/25 @ Golden West | 5 |
| 05/06/25 @ Mt. Whitney | 5 |
| + 8 more games |
Monache got a great performance from Sophia Martinez as she struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits. That's the most strikeouts Martinez has posted since back in March.
At the plate, Monache's win was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Shy-Lee Teran, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Bakersfield Christian got themselves on the board against Edison on Friday, but Edison never followed suit. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over the Tigers. That's two games straight that the Eagles have won by exactly four runs.
The result came thanks to Anabell Hinojosa's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 27 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tia Nichols was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Maddison Misuraca, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Bakersfield Christian lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now launched at least two home runs in three consecutive contests.
Bakersfield Christian's win was their 27th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 22-9. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Monache, their win bumped their record up to 17-5-1.
Both Monache and Bakersfield Christian just can't seem to miss. The Marauders have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Bakersfield Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Monache came out on top in a nail-biter against Bakersfield Christian in their previous matchup back in February, sneaking past 3-1. Will the Marauders repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
