The Royal Highlanders will square off against the La Canada Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Royal 2.6, La Canada 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Royal took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They never let Simi Valley get on the board and left with a 3-0 victory. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The result came thanks to Dustin Dunwoody's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 13 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Isaiah Tillman, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Matthew Stout, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, La Canada narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Village Christian 2-1.
Joe Bell made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Royal's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for La Canada, their victory bumped their record up to 16-8.
Both Royal and La Canada just can't seem to miss. The Highlanders have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.1 hits per game. However, it's not like La Canada struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
