El Capitan and Valhalla are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The El Capitan Vaqueros will be playing at home against the Valhalla Norsemen at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
El Capitan took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They blew past Monte Vista 9-1.
Brody McAuliffe was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 6.1 innings pitched. McAuliffe has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. McAuliffe was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Dominic Jones, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Landon Harbach, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Valhalla came tearing into Friday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Braves a 15-0 shutout.
Like El Capitan, Valhalla also got a great game from a two-way player: Mace Wheeler. On the mound, Wheeler struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Julian Jerjees didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over four innings pitched. At the plate, Wheeler went 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and a double, while Jerjees scored three runs while going 2-for-5.
In other batting news, Josh Rivera and Nate Moulton did most of the damage at the plate: Rivera got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and an RBI, while Moulton scored two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Acen Konja was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
El Capitan's win bumped their record up to 12-7. As for Valhalla, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 12-6 record this season.
El Capitan might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Valhalla when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Will El Capitan have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
