The Valley Christian Defenders will take on the Providence Pioneers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Valley Christian 4, Providence 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Valley Christian headed into their last match having not scored more than two runs for three straight, but Glenn let them put that streak behind them. Valley Christian was the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Glenn on Tuesday. Considering the Defenders have won four contests by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Valley Christian got a great performance from Riley Jones as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Jones has become a key player for Valley Christian: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least ten strikeouts, but 3-6 otherwise.
Quintin Ekstrom
| 03/18/25 vs Glenn | 4 |
| 02/22/25 @ Cabrillo | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Campbell Hall | 1 |
| 02/26/25 @ Katella | 1 |
| 02/20/25 vs Esperanza | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Quintin Ekstrom, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Austin Abrahams, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Valley Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Providence scored first but ultimately less than New Roads in their game on Tuesday. They fell 9-6 to the Jaguars. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Eric Chuchvara made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Jason Carrillo was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Valley Christian pushed their record up to 5-7 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Providence, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Both Valley Christian and Providence just can't seem to miss. Valley Christian has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. However, it's not like Providence struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Valley Christian took their win against Providence in their previous meeting back in March of 2017 by a conclusive 24-1. Will Valley Christian repeat their success, or does Providence have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
