The Kennedy Fighting Irish will venture away from home to challenge the Katella Knights at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Kennedy's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Katella's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Last Saturday, Kennedy was able to grind out a solid win over Orange, taking the game 8-5.
Carlos Tapia
Carlos Tapia made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over four innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Kennedy's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is undefeated (and 8-9 when he doesn't). Tapia was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jonathan Arreola and Anthony Hernandez did most of the damage at the plate: Arreola scored a run while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances, while Hernandez scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. That's the most runs Hernandez has posted since back in February. Hiro Vasquez was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Kennedy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Orange struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, Katella had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Tuesday. They blew past the Coyotes 8-2. Considering the Knights have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
The team relied heavily on Kevin Reyes Mejia, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Miguel Prado, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Kennedy pushed their record up to 11-9 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. As for Katella, their record now sits at 13-3.
Kennedy might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Katella when the teams last played back in March of 2021. Can the Fighting Irish avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
