The Junipero Serra Padres will be taking part in a tournament against the Pleasant Grove Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Junipero Serra comes in on three and Pleasant Grove on eight.
Junipero Serra had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Archbishop Mitty on Friday. The Padres were the clear victors by a 14-3 margin over the Monarchs. The Padres not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since May 3, 2024.
Riley Lim looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits.
At the plate, Junipero Serra got a massive performance out of Ian Josephson, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Ben Garibaldi also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Junipero Serra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Grove won against Sheldon on Wednesday with eight runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. The Eagles came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 8-4.
Matt Emmons looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Cole Davis, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Varin Verma, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Pleasant Grove's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-6. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Junipero Serra, their record is now 15-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Junipero Serra has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pleasant Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Junipero Serra skirted past Pleasant Grove 3-2 in their previous meeting back in March of 2015. Will the Padres repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
