The Stevens Falcons will face off against the Taft Raiders at 11:00 a.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Stevens took a 12-run defeat the last time they faced off against Churchill, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Stevens sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over Churchill on Saturday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Falcons as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Joshua Hernandez
| 03/08/25 vs Churchill | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Harlingen | 1 |
Joshua Hernandez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Stevens is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 2-6 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Stevens' win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jayden Gonzales, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. The dominant performance gave Gonzales a new career-high in RBI. Jordan Vargas was another, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Taft). They blew past Holmes 15-1 on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
CHRIS ARRIAGA made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. ARRIAGA was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, SAYBIEN GUZMAN was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. He is also on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was ELIJAH BARRERA, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Taft kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 9.
Stevens' win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Taft, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
