St. Ignatius College Preparatory has won three straight games at home, while Valley Christian has won three straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Wildcats will host the Warriors at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (St. Ignatius College Preparatory 2.3, Valley Christian 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, St. Ignatius College Preparatory needed a bit of extra time to put away Bellarmine College Prep. They had just enough and edged out the Bells 3-2. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Chase Gordon
| 04/29/25 vs Bellarmine College Prep | 1 |
| 04/16/25 vs St. Mary's | 2 |
| 04/11/25 @ Bellarmine College Prep | 2 |
Chase Gordon tossed a big game, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ryan Rosenthal was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one double. Steele Labagh also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Valley Christian got themselves on the board against Archbishop Riordan on Tuesday, but Archbishop Riordan never followed suit. They were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Crusaders. The result was nothing new for the Warriors, who have now won seven games by six runs or more so far this season.
Quinten Marsh made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Valley Christian got a big performance out of Christian Navarez, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Those three hits gave Navarez a new career-high. Hunter Fujimoto was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Archbishop Riordan only posted an OBP of .130.
Valley Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-4-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for St. Ignatius College Preparatory, their victory bumped their record up to 13-7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Ignatius College Preparatory has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Ignatius College Preparatory suffered a grim 13-2 defeat to Valley Christian when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
