The Monte Vista Christian Mustangs will square off against the Santa Clara Bruins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Monte Vista Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Gonzales a 15-0 shutout. That looming 15-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Mustangs yet this season.
Harper Whitby was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. She also tossed four walks, marking her first of the season. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Samantha Bertoldi, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. She also launched a home run, marking her first of the season. Addie Boles was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Santa Clara made sure to put some runs up on the board against South San Francisco on Wednesday. Santa Clara was the clear victors by a 19-8 margin over South San Francisco. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Bruins' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Like Monte Vista Christian, Santa Clara also got a great game from a two-way player: Rylan Morales. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Morales was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Santa Clara got a massive performance out of Marley Hernandez, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in five of her six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Hernandez a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Jordyn Guzman, who went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Monte Vista Christian's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Santa Clara, their win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-2.
Santa Clara's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Monte Vista Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Santa Clara, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Monte Vista Christian keep running through batters, or will Santa Clara buck the trend?
Monte Vista Christian took their victory against Santa Clara in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. Will Monte Vista Christian repeat their success, or does Santa Clara have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
