The Salesian College Preparatory Pride will head out on the road to challenge the Pinole Valley Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Salesian College Preparatory will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Pinole Valley's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Monday: Salesian College Preparatory hadn't allowed a single run the last five times they've hit the field. The Pride never let Albany get on the board and left with a 4-0 win on Saturday.
DeAmor Coleman made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-5. What's more, she posted two doubles, the most she's had since back in April of 2024.
Coleman wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Gloria Alcaire, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
Meanwhile, Pinole Valley came up short against Analy on Thursday and fell 8-4. The Spartans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Like Salesian College Preparatory, Pinole Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Mckenzie Ortega. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Ortega was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Ayla Serrano made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Gabriella Ornelas, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Salesian College Preparatory pushed their record up to 8-5 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Pinole Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Salesian College Preparatory has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pinole Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Salesian College Preparatory came up short against Pinole Valley when the teams last played back in March, falling 6-2. Can the Pride avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
