The La Joya Community Fighting Lobos will head out to challenge the Independence Patriots at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Thursday, La Joya Community made easy work of Glendale and carried off a 16-6 victory. The win continues a trend for the Fighting Lobos in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won three in a row.
Saul Chairez
| 04/03/25 vs Glendale | 3 |
| 03/25/25 vs Sierra Linda | 3 |
| 03/21/25 @ Sierra Linda | 3 |
| 03/20/25 @ Central | 3 |
| 03/19/25 vs Metro Tech | 3 |
| + 4 more games |
La Joya Community let Saul Chairez and Aidan Escobedo run wild. Chairez scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Escobedo scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Chairez has become a key player for La Joya Community: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise. Jordan Russell was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
La Joya Community always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .656. They are 6-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Independence got the win against Washington on Thursday by a conclusive 15-9. That's two games straight that the Patriots have won by exactly six runs.
Ivan Marrufo and Sebastian Sandoval did most of the damage at the plate: Marrufo went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs and one triple, while Sandoval scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. That triple was Marrufo's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Noel Calderon, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
La Joya Community's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.2 runs over those games. As for Independence, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. La Joya Community has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
La Joya Community might still be hurting after the 16-10 loss they got from Independence in their previous matchup back in February of 2017. Can the Fighting Lobos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
