Foothills Christian and Escondido Charter are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The Knights will head out to square off against the Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Foothills Christian's hitters haven't had much luck over their past five games, but Wednesday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.
Foothills Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They won by a run and slipped past Mount Miguel 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Knights have posted since March 1st.
Johannes Jansen Granillo made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Jonah Nottoli
| 04/07/25 vs Mount Miguel | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Orange Glen | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs High Tech CV | 1 |
| 02/27/25 @ Lincoln | 1 |
Jansen Granillo wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jonah Nottoli, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Nottoli a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Escondido Charter had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 20 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They put the hurt on the Patriots with a sharp 16-1 win. Considering the Tigers have won eight matchups by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Foothills Christian, Escondido Charter also got a great game from a two-way player: Liam McGinty. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. McGinty was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. He also hit a triple, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Curtis Williams was excellent, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Joey Seavello, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Escondido Charter always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Orange Glen only posted an OBP of .227.
Escondido Charter's record now sits at 8-1. As for Foothills Christian, they moved to 8-9 with that victory, which also ended their four-game losing streak.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Foothills Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Escondido Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Foothills Christian might still be hurting after the 9-0 defeat they got from Escondido Charter when the teams last played back in March. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
