Valley Christian is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Archbishop Mitty is on an 11-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Warriors will host the Monarchs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Valley Christian 2.6, Archbishop Mitty 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Valley Christian came out on top against Live Oak on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run seventh inning. The Warriors took their game against the Acorns 7-3.
The team relied heavily on Sia Marsh, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Shyla Paredes, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Valley Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Live Oak only managed four hits.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Archbishop Mitty made sure to put some runs up on the board against Presentation on Friday. The Monarchs were the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over the Panthers. The Monarchs haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.
Kyleigh Mace looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, MJ Fikes and Adelle Duncan did most of the damage at the plate: Fikes got on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run and four RBI, while Duncan went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Those four RBI gave Fikes a new career-high. Gracie Giovacchini was another key player, going 3-for-5 with three RBI and one double.
Valley Christian has been performing well recently as they've won 13 of their last 16 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Archbishop Mitty, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Valley Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Archbishop Mitty struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Valley Christian skirted past Archbishop Mitty 2-1 in their previous matchup back in April. Will the Warriors repeat their success, or do the Monarchs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
