Baseball Recap: Santa Monica Picks Up Fifth Consecutive Win

Vikings

Previous 5 Games

03/27/25 @ Morningside	20-0
03/25/25 vs Morningside	21-0
03/20/25 @ Beverly Hills	12-3
03/18/25 vs Beverly Hills	7-0
03/11/25 @ Centennial	18-0

Santa Monica came tearing into Thursday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Morningside Monarchs with a sharp 20-0 victory. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 21-0 last Tuesday.

Aaron Heirigs made a big impact no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single hit, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, Santa Monica let Kaveh Naini and Steven Lenkin run wild. Naini got on base in four of his six plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Lenkin went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those hits marked the first that Lenkin got this season. Jack Waterstone was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.

Santa Monica kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.1 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 10.2.

Santa Monica pushed their record up to 10-4 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.7 runs over those games. As for Morningside, they are on a nine-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-10.

Santa Monica didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 5-3 loss against Royal on the 28th. As for Morningside, they will welcome Inglewood at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday.