Hope Christian is 2-8 against Valley since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Huskies will head out on the road to take on the Vikings at 4:00 p.m. Hope Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Hope Christian was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Del Norte on Friday. The Huskies never let the Knights get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The Huskies might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by six runs or more this season.
Caleb Pena
| 05/02/25 @ Del Norte | 4 |
| 02/27/25 @ Capital | 3 |
| 03/14/24 @ Belen | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Atrisco Heritage Academy | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ West Mesa | 2 |
Hope Christian got a massive performance out of Caleb Pena, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four RBI gave Pena a new career-high. Keegan Johnson also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Hope Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Valley came out on top against Bernalillo on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run fifth inning. The Vikings took their game against the Spartans 13-8. The Vikings have beaten the Spartans the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Spartans has come to flipping the script.
Valley also got a great performance from Estevan Fernandez as he tossed six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Anthony Chavez, who fired off two home runs and six RBI while going 3-for-4. He also scored two runs, which is notable because Valley is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 8-13 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jayden Martinez, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base.
Hope Christian's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 16-9. As for Valley, the win got them back to even at 13-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hope Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hope Christian came out on top in a nail-biter against Valley when the teams last played last Monday, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
