The Canyon Springs Cougars will take on the Hillcrest Trojans at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Canyon Springs will be strutting in after a victory while Hillcrest will be coming in after a loss.
Hillcrest will be up against a hot Canyon Springs team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Canyon Springs came out on top in a nail-biter against University Prep on Tuesday, sneaking past 8-6. The Cougars' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Andres Vasquez was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Jesse Lopez looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Back at the plate, Ted Virgil and Dylan Andrews did most of the damage at the plate: Virgil scored a run while going 2-for-3, while Andrews scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those hits were Virgil's first of the season.
Canyon Springs was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .481. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
Hillcrest might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 5-1 to Orange Vista, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The Trojans have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Hillcrest saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was James Henson, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Hillcrest's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3-1. As for Canyon Springs, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Canyon Springs has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hillcrest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Canyon Springs skirted past Hillcrest 10-9 when the teams last played back in March of 2019. Does Canyon Springs have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hillcrest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
