For the second straight game, Valley Christian will face off against Maranatha. The Defenders will take on the Minutemen at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are headed into the matchup with plenty of momentum (Valley Christian has won eight straight at home, while Maranatha won four straight on the road), something that'll have to change.
Valley Christian is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Maranatha just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took a 6-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Minutemen. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Defenders couldn't push the score so high this time.
For Maranatha's part, Zach Strickland made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Strickland has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Josh Proctor, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Trevor Rivas, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Maranatha's victory bumped their record up to 16-6-1. As for Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 13-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Maranatha struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
