The Kennedy Titans will face off against the Monte Vista Christian Mustangs at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Kennedy is headed into the contest having just posted their biggest win since March 14, 2024 on Friday. They blew past Hayward 17-3.
Abhay Dhaliwal was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only three hits, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-5. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Michael Pickett, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Ebrahimi, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Monte Vista Christian put another one in the bag on Thursday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Live Oak as Monte Vista Christian made off with a 9-1 victory. Fans of the Mustangs have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Like Kennedy, Monte Vista Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Jackson Haddad. Throwing, Haddad struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Meanwhile, Parker Brown pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Haddad scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Brown scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Monte Vista Christian got a big performance out of Tyson Shaw, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Vessey, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4.
Monte Vista Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive games dating back to last season.
Kennedy's win ended a three-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-1. As for Monte Vista Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 3-0.
Saturday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Kennedy has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. However, it's not like Monte Vista Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .505. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
