Del Norte is 0-10 against Hope Christian since June of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Knights will venture away from home to face off against the Huskies at 3:00 p.m.
Valley hit Del Norte with a five-run sixth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Knights came up short against the Vikings, falling 10-1.
Del Norte saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joseph Belgrave, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Meanwhile, Hope Christian had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Wednesday. They came out on top against the Jaguars by a score of 10-6. The game was the first time the Huskies have beaten the Jaguars on their field since March 24, 2025.
Luciano Gabaldon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, four RBI, and one run. He is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as he's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games he's played.
In other pitching news, Adam Jimenez looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Hope Christian got a big performance out of Hunter Solwick, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Gavin Locker, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Hope Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in eight consecutive matchups.
Hope Christian's record is now 19-6. As for Del Norte, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-20.
Del Norte suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Hope Christian in their previous matchup on April 14th. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
