Riverdale Baptist is 9-1 against Avalon since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. Riverdale Baptist will host Avalon at 4:30 p.m. Riverdale Baptist's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Avalon's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Riverdale Baptist is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: School Without Walls, who was ranked fourth in their home state at the time (Riverdale Baptist was ranked ninth). Riverdale Baptist came out on top in a nail-biter against School Without Walls on Saturday, sneaking past 9-8. The victory continues a trend for the Crusaders in their matchups with the Penguins: they've now won three in a row.
DIXON MONK
| 03/22/25 vs School Without Walls | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Towson | 1 |
| 04/23/24 vs Varsity Opponent | 1 |
| 03/23/24 vs Van Buren | 1 |
| 03/14/24 vs Fairfax HomeSchool | 1 |
The team relied heavily on DIXON MONK, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. EVAN SHERARD also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Avalon). They put the hurt on Chen with a sharp 11-1 win on Wednesday. The Black Knights not only won on Wednesday, but they posted their biggest win since April 23, 2024.
Braden Peang made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple.
In other batting news, Avalon let Javeth Carrion and Guarion Rodriguez run wild. Carrion went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Rodriguez scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Avalon is 2-1 when Rodriguez posts two or more stolen bases, but 0-3 otherwise. Micah Owonu was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two RBI.
Avalon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Riverdale Baptist's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Avalon, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-4.
Riverdale Baptist couldn't quite finish off Avalon in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 and fell 8-6. Can Riverdale Baptist avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
