The Verdugo Hills Dons will challenge the Kennedy Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Kennedy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Verdugo Hills, who comes in off a win.
Having struggled with ten defeats in a row, Verdugo Hills turned things around against Monroe on Monday. They never let the Vikings get on the board and left with a 20-0 win. The Dons' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Diego Perez and Jered Smith made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Perez tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Smith pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, Perez gave up only two walks, the fewest he's had since back in February. At the plate, Perez scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Smith scored a run while going 1-for-1. Those two runs gave Perez a new career-high.
Anthony Velasquez
| 03/31/25 vs Monroe | 5 |
| 02/22/25 vs Flintridge Prep | 3 |
| 03/01/25 vs Village Christian | 2 |
| 05/16/24 vs Los Angeles CES | 2 |
| 04/20/24 @ Legacy | 2 |
In other batting news, Anthony Velasquez was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was D'Angelo Duran, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and two runs.
Verdugo Hills hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are 2-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Kennedy's offense. They fell just short of Sylmar by a score of 2-0 on Thursday. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Spartans recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Verdugo Hills' victory bumped their record up to 2-11. As for Kennedy, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Verdugo Hills came out on top in a nail-biter against Kennedy in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, sneaking past 1-0. Will Verdugo Hills repeat their success, or does Kennedy has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
