vs
| 04/14/25 - Home | 24-2 W |
| 04/22/24 - Home | 18-2 W |
| 04/24/23 - Away | 8-2 W |
| 03/14/22 - Home | 17-2 W |
| 03/23/21 - Away | 12-1 W |
| + 2 more games |
Valley Christian is a perfect 7-0 against Coolidge since March of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Trojans will take on the Bears at 4:00 p.m. Valley Christian will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Valley Christian's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Tuesday, when they got past Seton Catholic's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Trojans put the hurt on the Sentinels with a sharp 10-1 win. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 games by six runs or more this season.
Carson Grier made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Caleb Danzeisen, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Brayden Waggoner, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Seton Catholic only posted an OBP of .300.
Meanwhile, Coolidge narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Globe 6-5.
Like Valley Christian, Coolidge also got a great game from a two-way player: Riley Hamilton. He struck out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. That's the most strikeouts Hamilton has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Patrick Perez was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of Coolidge's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 1-10 when he doesn't). Athyn Alphus was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Valley Christian's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Coolidge, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-11.
Valley Christian took their victory against Coolidge in their previous matchup on Monday by a conclusive 24-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trojans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
