The Hillcrest Trojans will square off against the Rancho Christian Eagles at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hillcrest's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Vista del Lago with a sharp 11-0 victory. The Trojans haven't had any issues with the Ravens recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
The team relied heavily on James Henson, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Sampson, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Hillcrest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are 11-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Rancho Christian and Rancho Verde, and Rancho Christian kept the tradition alive. The Eagles blew past the Mustangs 13-5 on Thursday.
Cooper Rivera was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Cylis Proffitt was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Rancho Christian pushed their record up to 14-7 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs over those games. As for Hillcrest, their victory bumped their record up to 16-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hillcrest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rancho Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hillcrest couldn't quite finish off Rancho Christian when the teams last played on Monday and fell 8-6. Can the Trojans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
