The Ventura Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the St. Bonaventure Seraphs at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Ventura's pitching crew has only allowed 2.1 runs per game this season, so St. Bonaventure's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Ventura gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 10-6 win over Oxnard. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Yellowjackets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Carter Kimble was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Wylan Nelson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Ventura was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .452. The last time their batting average was this high was was before the start of last season.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, St. Bonaventure was a bit more limited in their game on Saturday. They took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Moorpark. The Seraphs' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Wyatt Richardson was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Ventura's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-6-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for St. Bonaventure, their loss dropped their record down to 11-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ventura has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Bonaventure struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ventura beat St. Bonaventure 7-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
