While El Modena didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past the Sonora Raiders 7-1 on Tuesday. The Vanguards might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by six runs or more this season.
Matthew Gutierrez made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2025.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Troy Nielsen., who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Daniel Vega., who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
El Modena was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sonora only posted a batting average of .080.
Vanguards
| 03/10/26 @ Sonora | 7-1 |
| 03/06/26 vs Pacifica | 10-1 |
| 03/03/26 vs Irvine | 3-2 |
| 02/27/26 vs Palm Desert | 1-0 |
| 02/24/26 vs Citrus Valley | 1-0 |
| 02/23/26 @ Patriot | 11-2 |
The victory was the sixth in a row for El Modena, bringing their record up to 7-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Sonora, with the loss, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 5-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming contests. El Modena will challenge Canyon at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Sonora, they will square off against Troy at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. The Warriors' pitching crew has only allowed 1.8 runs per game this season, so the Raiders' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
