Los Angeles CES is 0-3 against Verdugo Hills since March of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Los Angeles CES Unicorns will take on the Verdugo Hills Dons at 3:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Los Angeles CES is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 14-1 margin over Franklin. The high-scoring effort was just what Los Angeles CES needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.
Curtis Mantelzak was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Polizzi, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Verdugo Hills entered their tilt with North Hollywood with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 7-2 on Friday.
Verdugo Hills also got a great performance from Cooper Savage as he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Savage has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in six consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Cristian Banuelos was incredible, going 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Anthony Santiago was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Los Angeles CES's win bumped their record up to 9-11. As for Verdugo Hills, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 17-11 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Los Angeles CES has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Verdugo Hills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Los Angeles CES suffered a grim 10-1 defeat to Verdugo Hills in their previous meeting back in February. Can Los Angeles CES avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
