The Monarch Coyotes will square off against the Ralston Valley Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Monday.
Monarch made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Legacy, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Coyotes fell just short of the Lightning by a score of 5-3 on Thursday. The Coyotes haven't had much luck with the Lightning recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Brody Montemayor was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off seven hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in March.
At the plate, Monarch saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Charlie Pearce, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple marked the first that Pearce has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Ralston Valley got themselves on the board against Lakewood on Thursday, but Lakewood never followed suit. They came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 4-0. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
The result came thanks to Winston Patterson's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 11 Ks. He has become a key player for Ralston Valley: the team is undefeated when he allows at most three hits, but 4-6 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brayden Gillest, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Mason Gilbreath, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
Ralston Valley lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Ralston Valley now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Monarch, their loss dropped their record down to 3-10.
Everything went Monarch's way against Ralston Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Monarch made off with a 9-2 victory. Will the Coyotes repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
