The Valley Christian Defenders will venture away from home to square off against the Bishop Montgomery Knights at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Valley Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Valley Christian will bounce into Tuesday's game after beating Maranatha, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Defenders' pitcher stepped up to hand the Minutemen a 2-0 shutout on Friday.
Riley Jones
| 02/20/25 vs Esperanza | 4 |
| 03/10/25 @ Bellflower | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Woodcrest Christian | 1 |
| 04/07/25 vs Whittier Christian | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Village Christian | 1 |
Not much got past Riley Jones, who gave up just six hits and racked up nine Ks to keep Maranatha off the board. Jones also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Valley Christian is 9-2 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-8 otherwise.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bishop Montgomery). They blew past Animo Leadership 17-0 on Saturday. The win was nothing new for the Knights as they're now sitting on five straight.
Alex Martinez looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Bishop Montgomery got a massive performance out of Logan Hudson, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most RBI Hudson has posted since back in March. Caden Eallonardo was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Bishop Montgomery always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .611. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Valley Christian's victory was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-10. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. As for Bishop Montgomery, their record is now 17-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop Montgomery struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Valley Christian skirted past Bishop Montgomery 7-6 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Defenders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
