The Ripon Christian Knights will challenge the Grace Davis Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Ripon Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.2 runs per game this season.
Ripon Christian's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They came out on top against Lathrop by a score of 12-0 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The high-scoring effort was just what the Knights needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.
Ripon Christian got a great performance from Mateo Ceja as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. Ceja has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances.
Garrett Pollard
| 02/28/25 @ Lathrop | 2 |
| 02/20/25 @ Big Valley Christian | 1 |
| 04/24/24 @ Waterford | 1 |
| 04/02/24 vs Waterford | 1 |
At the plate, Garrett Pollard and Trenton Cloward did most of the damage at the plate: Pollard scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Cloward scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance gave Pollard a new career-high in runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah DeBruyn, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Grace Davis entered their tilt with Orestimba on Thursday with two consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with three. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over the Warriors. That's two games straight that the Spartans have won by exactly two runs.
Tanner Bland was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Bland was even better at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Logan Ariza, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-4. Jordan Reece was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Ripon Christian pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Grace Davis, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ripon Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grace Davis struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ripon Christian came up short against Grace Davis in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 5-2. Will Ripon Christian have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
