The Kennedy Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Royal Highlanders at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Kennedy barely beat North Hollywood the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars came out on top against the Huskies on Monday by a score of 10-0 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). Considering the Cougars' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Santiago Torres
| 04/28/25 @ North Hollywood | 4 |
| 04/21/25 vs San Fernando | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Poly | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ Verdugo Hills | 3 |
| 03/27/25 @ Sylmar | 3 |
| 03/17/25 vs Poly | 7 |
Santiago Torres was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Anthony Rodriguez was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Roberto Solares also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Kennedy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Royal had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 18-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Highlanders, who have now won nine games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Like Kennedy, Royal also got a great game from a two-way player: Caden Sramek. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Sramek was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Brady Hewitt was a standout: he went 5-for-6 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Cooper Orme, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Royal's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-4. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Kennedy, their win ended an eight-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-15.
Kennedy suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Royal in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
