Preview: Xavier Prep Saints vs. La Quinta Blackhawks
The Xavier Prep Saints will head out on the road to face off against the La Quinta Blackhawks at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Xavier Prep: 3.7, La Quinta: 3.3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Thursday, Xavier Prep got themselves on the board against Palm Springs, but Palm Springs never followed suit. Everything went their way against the Indians as they made off with a 15-0 win. That looming 15-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Xavier Prep yet this season.
The team relied heavily on Andrew Wente, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Elijah Castro, who scored a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, La Quinta waltzed into their match on Thursday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Rattlers 4-2.
The team relied heavily on Jayvin Baxa, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Xavier Prep has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. As for La Quinta, their win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Xavier Prep has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Quinta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Xavier Prep came out on top in a nail-biter against La Quinta in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Xavier Prep since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
