The Alonso Ravens will face off against the Durant Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Alonso 2.6, Durant 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Alonso earned a 5-1 victory over Robinson. The win continues a trend for the Ravens in their matchups with the Knights: they've now won nine in a row.
Julian Batista
| 03/04/25 vs Gaither | 1 |
| 02/11/25 @ Armwood | 1 |
Alonso got a great performance from Julian Batista as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Batista also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Alonso is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-3 otherwise.
At the plate, Jordan Campos was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Ihonathan Perez was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Durant). Their pitchers stepped up to hand Spoto an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday. The victory was nothing new for the Cougars as they're now sitting on three straight.
Dylan Hotz looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brady Kelley, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Dylan Karnowski, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Durant always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Alonso's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Durant, their victory bumped their record up to 6-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Alonso has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Durant struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Alonso might still be hurting after the 7-0 defeat they got from Durant when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will Alonso have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
