The Seton Catholic Sentinels will head out to square off against the Valley Christian Trojans at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If Seton Catholic beats Valley Christian with 20 runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Sentinels never let Apache Junction get on the board and left with a 20-0 victory on Friday. The Sentinels haven't had any issues with the Prospectors recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Brooke Zuluaga made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Seton Catholic got a big performance out of Natalia Casillas, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Scarlett Olivares was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Seton Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .767. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Valley Christian came tearing into Monday's match with five straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 14.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Bears as they made off with a 15-0 victory.
Like Seton Catholic, Valley Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Leigha Kremlacek. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Kremlacek has posted since back in March. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Abrielle Jarles was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and three runs. Another player making a difference was Amelia Bowman, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3.
Valley Christian's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-2-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Seton Catholic, their record now sits at 12-3-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Seton Catholic has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
