Baseball Preview: Desert Christian Eagles vs. St. David Tigers
After three games on the road, Desert Christian is heading back home. They will take on the St. David Tigers at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Wednesday, Desert Christian got the win against Valley Union by a conclusive 14-1.
Bennett Vondrak made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Vondrak has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Vondrak was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Caden Esquerra was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Cruz Smith, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, St. David entered their tilt with Patagonia with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They blew past the Lobos 10-3.
Vincent Yaeger spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, Luke Haymore and Emmitt Etter did most of the damage at the plate: Haymore scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Etter scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Cole Haymore was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Desert Christian pushed their record up to 10-2 with that win, which was their sixth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.8 runs per game. As for St. David, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Desert Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. David struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Desert Christian beat St. David 5-2 when the teams last played last Wednesday. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was St. David's Owen Judd, who struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Desert Christian still be able to contain Judd? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
