The El Dorado Golden Hawks will face off against the Villa Park Spartans at 3:15 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (El Dorado 3.2, Villa Park 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
El Dorado 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 sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 win over El Modena. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Golden Hawks have posted since April 2nd.
Meanwhile, Villa Park had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Friday. Everything went their way against the Knights as they made off with an 11-2 win. The Spartans not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since February 21st (when they won 16-3).
Jake Nobles was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in eight consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Cade Cowle looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Shawn Romero, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. Gunner Santillo was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Villa Park kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive matches.
Villa Park's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for El Dorado, their victory bumped their record up to 19-7.
El Dorado came up short against Villa Park in their previous matchup back in March, falling 6-3. Will the Golden Hawks have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
