Valley Christian is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Seton Catholic is on an 11-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Trojans will welcome the Sentinels at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Monday, Valley Christian got the win against Coolidge by a conclusive 24-2. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Bears recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Devin Morganfield looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
Brock Jackson
| 04/14/25 vs Coolidge | 5 |
| 04/08/25 vs Thatcher | 3 |
| 04/12/24 @ ALA - Ironwood | 3 |
| 03/22/24 vs Ralston Valley | 3 |
| 03/21/24 vs Douglas County | 3 |
On the hitting side, Brock Jackson was incredible, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and five RBI. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jaxen Maxey, who scored three runs while going 2-for-2.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .561. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Coolidge only posted an OBP of .211.
Meanwhile, Seton Catholic's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Apache Junction an 11-0 shutout.
P.J. Rafford was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Rafford was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Chase Ries and Josh Brown did most of the damage at the plate: Ries scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Brown scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Joe Ferrance was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
Seton Catholic has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Valley Christian, their win bumped their record up to 19-2.
Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Valley Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .482. However, it's not like Seton Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .450. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Valley Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Seton Catholic in their previous meeting two weeks ago, winning 4-0. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Sentinels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
