Big Valley Christian and Venture Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2017, but likely not for long. The Big Valley Christian Lions are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Venture Academy Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
In what's become a running theme this season, Big Valley Christian gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. They blew past Millennium 14-7. With that win, Big Valley Christian brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Jackson Howell was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Howell has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Howell was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple.
In other batting news, Brady Heinrich was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Logan Stevens, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Venture Academy waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. Everything went their way against the Dragons as they made off with a 12-2 victory. Venture Academy might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won four contests by ten runs or more this season.
Like Big Valley Christian, Venture Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Isaac Stewart. Throwing, Stewart struck out six batters over two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Alexander Wolf-Gallegos didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. At bat, Stewart scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Wolf-Gallegos scored a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Xavier Perez and Omarion Walker did most of the damage at the plate: Perez scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Walker scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
The win got Big Valley Christian back to even at 5-5. As for Venture Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a massive bump to their 6-7 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Big Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Venture Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Big Valley Christian couldn't quite finish off Venture Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 and fell 3-1. Can Big Valley Christian avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
