The Johnson Warriors are taking a road trip to square off against the Fairfield Falcons at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Friday, Johnson made easy work of Foothill and carried off a 16-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won six in a row.
Angelene Gonzales and Kayla Madison made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Gonzales pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Madison pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. At the plate, Gonzales went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI, while Madison went 2-for-3 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs. Those two triples gave Madison a new career-high.
In other batting news, Johnson got a big performance out of Valicianna Collins-Hogan, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Leticia Gonzales also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Johnson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .615. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .455 or higher in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Fairfield came tearing into Friday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Titans a 22-0 shutout.
Like Johnson, Fairfield also got a great game from a two-way player: Karli Robinson. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over four innings pitched. Robinson was also big at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and three doubles.
In other batting news, Kaya Lanzon was a standout: she went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Another player making a difference was Claudia Lucero, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
Johnson pushed their record up to 14-3 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.5 runs over those games. As for Fairfield, their record now sits at 10-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Johnson has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fairfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Johnson took their win against Fairfield when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 11-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
