Baseball Recap: Vanden Starts Season with Win at Home

Vanden gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 8-2 margin over the Armijo Royals. That's more bragging rights for the Vikings, who also won the pair's last head-to-head.

Mariano Gonzalez was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases.

Kekoa Grinton

Runs Batted In (Career)

02/18/25 vs Armijo	3
04/03/24 vs Leroy Greene Academy	2
04/15/24 vs Vacaville	1
04/08/24 @ Armijo	1
03/25/24 vs Wood	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kekoa Grinton, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Hayden Book was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Armijo's record now sits at 1-1.

Vanden has already played their next game (against Woodland Christian), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. As for Armijo, they wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, an 8-8 tie against Amador on the 21st.