vs
| 03/11/25 - Home | 4-11 L |
| 04/25/24 - Home | 9-19 L |
| 04/02/24 - Away | 1-12 L |
| 03/07/24 - Home | 1-11 L |
| 04/25/19 - Home | 7-1 W |
| + 5 more games |
Monta Vista and Santa Clara are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Matadors will challenge the Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Monta Vista's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Santa Clara's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Monta Vista will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Saratoga, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Matadors sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over the Falcons on Tuesday. While the Matadors didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-19), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Joseph Murai spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.
On the hitting side, Monta Vista saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Huang, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one RBI. Sravik Sajja also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Santa Clara never let their opponents score on Tuesday. They came out on top against Lynbrook by a score of 5-0. The Bruins haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Zach Gallegos made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaxton Chao, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was John Kepner, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Monta Vista has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.9 runs on average over those games. As for Santa Clara, their record now sits at 10-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Monta Vista has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Monta Vista might still be hurting after the 11-4 defeat they got from Santa Clara when the teams last played back in March. Can the Matadors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
