The Vanden Vikings will head out on the road to face off against the Dixon Rams at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Vanden is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 22-0 margin over Sacramento on Thursday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Anthony Nelson and Mariano Gonzalez made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Nelson tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Gonzalez struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has become a key player for Vanden: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 7-15 otherwise. At the plate, Nelson went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI, while Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Those two runs gave Nelson a new career-high.
Hayden Book
| 04/24/25 @ Sacramento | 3 |
| 04/22/25 vs Sacramento | 1 |
| 03/15/25 @ Fairfield | 1 |
| 02/25/25 @ Woodland Christian | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Armijo | 1 |
In other batting news, Hayden Book and Nolan Brewer did most of the damage at the plate: Book got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Brewer got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs and three RBI. Those three runs gave Book a new career-high. Ashton Jirsa also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Vanden kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.
Dixon played against Natomas on Monday and won via forfeit.
Dixon has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-16-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Vanden, their win ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-16.
Dixon's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Vanden has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. It's a different story for Dixon, though, as they've only averaged .365. Will they be able to contain Vanden's hitters?
Vanden came out on top in a nail-biter against Dixon when the teams last played back in March of 2020, sneaking past 5-4. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
