Mater Dei Catholic is 2-8 against Crescenta Valley since March of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Mater Dei Catholic will host Crescenta Valley at 11:00 a.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with seven losses in a row, Mater Dei Catholic turned things around against Francis Parker on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Lancers with a sharp 11-2 victory. The Crusaders' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Xavier Castro tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Joey Castillo
| 03/26/25 @ Francis Parker | 3 |
| 03/24/25 vs La Jolla | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Westview | 0 |
| 03/21/25 @ Mission Bay | 1 |
| 05/07/24 @ Mar Vista | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Joey Castillo, who fired off two home runs and three runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Nikolas Edwards, who scored a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Mater Dei Catholic was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Crescenta Valley came tearing into Tuesday's contest with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Scorpions. Considering the Falcons have won six games by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Colin Moore looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Crescenta Valley let Dashiell Schultz and Charlie Carafotes run wild. Schultz went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Carafotes went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That home run marked the first that Schultz launched this season. Another player making a difference was Mike Herman, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Crescenta Valley's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Mater Dei Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 2-7.
Mater Dei Catholic might still be hurting after the 9-0 defeat they got from Crescenta Valley in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can Mater Dei Catholic avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
