Gladiators
| 05/10/25 @ Garfield | 1 |
| 05/09/25 @ Maywood CES | 20 |
| 05/07/25 vs Maywood CES | 20 |
| 05/02/25 @ Torres | 27 |
| 04/30/25 vs Torres | 14 |
| + 18 more games |
The Marquez Gladiators will square off against the Orthopaedic Vipers at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Marquez is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 14.2 runs per game this season.
Marquez is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Garfield just ended the team's 12-game winning streak last Saturday. They fell 6-1 to the Bulldogs. The game marked the Gladiators' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Marquez saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Delilah Sanchez, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base. Sanchez is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games she's played.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Orthopaedic had no trouble coming through when it counted. They were the clear victors by a 12-0 margin over Torres on Monday. Considering the Vipers have won 13 matchups by more than eight runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Brianna Ramirez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Ramirez was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Orthopaedic got a massive performance out of Vanessa Castillo, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Elizabeth Ajin, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Orthopaedic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .379 or higher in five consecutive games.
Orthopaedic is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.2 runs over those games. As for Marquez, they suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 21-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Marquez has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Orthopaedic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Marquez was able to grind out a solid victory over Orthopaedic in their previous meeting back in February, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gladiators since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
