The Orthopaedic Vipers will head out on the road to challenge the Jefferson Democrats at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Orthopaedic is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Things were looking good for Orthopaedic after they put the first runs on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of USC-MAE by a score of 10-9.
Brianna Ramirez
| 04/10/25 vs USC-MAE | 1 |
| 04/07/25 vs Central City Value | 3 |
| 04/03/25 @ Animo Bunche | 8 |
| 03/18/25 @ Santee | 4 |
Brianna Ramirez was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played.
In other batting news, Daniela Ceja made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. Joanna Serrano also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Jefferson had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. They blew past the Toilers 22-4. The result was nothing new for the Democrats, who have now won six matches by eight runs or more so far this season.
Samantha Estrada was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run and one double. Another player making a difference was Brenda Hernandez, who went 3-for-5 with one triple.
Jefferson kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 21 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Jefferson pushed their record up to 6-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 23.8 runs over those games. As for Orthopaedic, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 6-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Orthopaedic hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Jefferson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Orthopaedic took their win against Jefferson in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 11-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vipers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
