Rosemead hasn't had much luck against El Monte recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Panthers will face off against the Lions at 3:15 p.m. Rosemead has given up an average of 10.1 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Rosemead is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 20 runs last Friday, they were much more limited against Arroyo on Monday. They came up short against the Knights, falling 12-2.
Rosemead saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jazmin Slayton, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one run.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for El Monte, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over Gabrielino on Monday. Considering the Lions have won six contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
El Monte got a massive performance out of Leilani Diaz, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave Diaz a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Naima Rodriguez, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
El Monte always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
El Monte has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Rosemead, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Rosemead hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like El Monte struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Rosemead might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from El Monte in their previous meeting on April 7th. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
