The Heritage Academy Gateway Heroes will face off against the Mission Heights Prep Phantoms at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Heritage Academy Gateway barely beat Imagine Prep the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Heroes never let the Storm get on the board and left with an 8-0 win on Friday. The Heroes haven't had any issues with the Storm recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Nolen Holliday
Nolen Holliday was a major factor no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over 5.2 innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Heritage Academy Gateway is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-3 otherwise. Holliday was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Holliday wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Lines, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple was Lines' first of the season. Another was Benny Treuhaft, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Heritage Academy Gateway kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 3-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Mission Heights Prep made easy work of Harvest Prep Academy on Friday and carried off a 22-1 win.
Like Heritage Academy Gateway, Mission Heights Prep also got a great game from a two-way player: Ricky Luevano. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). Those nine strikeouts gave Luevano a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Daniel Vargas, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Jacob Kemp was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Heritage Academy Gateway's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Mission Heights Prep, their victory bumped their record up to 8-4-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Heritage Academy Gateway has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mission Heights Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Heritage Academy Gateway came out on top in a nail-biter against Mission Heights Prep in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. Do the Heroes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Phantoms turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
