The Foothill Knights will head out on the road to challenge the El Modena Vanguards at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Foothill 2, El Modena 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Foothill took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 12-1 margin over Don Lugo. The Knights' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Eric Zweber and Sean Green did most of the damage at the plate: Zweber scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Green scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Those two runs gave Zweber a new career-high. Ezekiel Vargas also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Foothill always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, El Modena was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 1-0 to El Dorado, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. The game snapped a strange streak: the last three times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Cash Ferinac was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
Foothill's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for El Modena, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
El Modena's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Foothill has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for El Modena, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Foothill keep running through batters, or will El Modena buck the trend?
Foothill came up short against El Modena when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 4-0. Can Foothill avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
