Avalon hasn't had much luck against Riverdale Baptist recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. Avalon will venture away from home to challenge Riverdale Baptist at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Avalon had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Chen on Wednesday. Avalon put the hurt on Chen with a sharp 11-1 victory. The Black Knights' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Braden Peang made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. Those hits marked the first that he got this season.
Guarion Rodriguez
| 03/19/25 @ Chen | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Bullis | 2 |
| 03/15/25 @ Fairfax HomeSchool | 2 |
In other batting news, Javeth Carrion and Guarion Rodriguez did most of the damage at the plate: Carrion went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Rodriguez scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Rodriguez is becoming a predictor of Avalon's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't). Micah Owonu was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two RBI.
Avalon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Riverdale Baptist is ranked highly in their home state and on Saturday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of School Without Walls. Riverdale Baptist had just enough and edged out School Without Walls 9-8. The win continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Penguins: they've now won three in a row.
The team relied heavily on DIXON MONK, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
Riverdale Baptist's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Avalon, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-4.
Avalon came out on top in a nail-biter against Riverdale Baptist in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. Will Avalon repeat their success, or does Riverdale Baptist has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
