Helix and Grossmont are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Highlanders will take on the Foothillers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Helix will be strutting in after a win while Grossmont will be coming in after a loss.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Helix and Valhalla, and Helix kept the tradition alive. The Highlanders came out on top against the Norsemen by a score of 6-1 on Tuesday.
Romeo Briones
| 05/13/25 vs Valhalla | 6 |
| 05/06/25 @ Granite Hills | 1 |
| 05/01/25 @ Grossmont | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Valhalla | 2 |
| 04/22/25 @ El Capitan | 3 |
| + 3 more games |
Romeo Briones made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Matt Martinez looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Bryan Herman, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Kie Smith also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Grossmont was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They lost 17-4 to El Capitan. That's two games in a row now that the Foothillers have lost by exactly 13 runs.
Tyler Holmes was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one home run and one double.
Helix has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 15-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Grossmont, their loss dropped their record down to 9-18.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Helix hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Grossmont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Helix's way against Grossmont in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Helix made off with a 12-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Highlanders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
