The Gateway Christian Warriors will square off against the Magdalena Steers at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Gateway Christian sitting on nine straight wins and Magdalena on 16.
Gateway Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Logan as they made off with a 12-2 victory. Considering the Warriors have won 13 games by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Ethaniel Wigley
| 05/15/25 vs Logan | 2 |
| 05/16/24 vs Melrose | 1 |
| 04/29/24 @ Dora | 2 |
Ethaniel Wigley made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. Wigley was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Samuel Waide was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with three doubles, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Cohen Bolin, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Gateway Christian kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Magdalena posted their closest win since March 27th on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 victory over Grady.
Josiah Candelaria spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Javen Tafoya, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Joseph Zamora was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one double.
Magdalena's win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Gateway Christian, their record is now 15-4.
Gateway Christian beat Magdalena 9-4 in their previous matchup back in April of 2016. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Warriors since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
