Valley Christian hasn't had much luck against Maranatha recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Defenders are taking a road trip to square off against the Minutemen at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Valley Christian comes in on five and Maranatha on 13.
Valley Christian's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They blew past Heritage Christian 10-0. Considering the Defenders have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Riley Jones
| 02/20/25 vs Esperanza | 4 |
| 03/10/25 @ Bellflower | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Woodcrest Christian | 1 |
| 04/07/25 vs Whittier Christian | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs Village Christian | 1 |
The result came thanks to Riley Jones's shutout, as he gave up just two hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Valley Christian is 8-2 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-7 otherwise.
At the plate, Austin Abrahams was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Quintin Ekstrom, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday Maranatha sidestepped Central Catholic for a 4-2 win.
Carson Kelly tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Doug Zuniga, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
Valley Christian's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-9. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Maranatha, their record is now 15-6-1.
Valley Christian might still be hurting after the 9-3 loss they got from Maranatha when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Defenders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
