The Crismon Rattlers are taking a road trip to square off against the Valley Christian Trojans at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Crismon 3.5, Valley Christian 2.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Crismon's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when ALA - Queen Creek hitters got past them. The Rattlers took a 10-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Patriots on Wednesday.
Preston Hammond was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That home run was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Herzberg, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Valley Christian waltzed into their matchup on Wednesday with ten straight wins... but they left with 11. They put the hurt on the Prospectors with a sharp 14-4 win. Considering the Trojans have won 17 games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Devin Morganfield looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ryan Sanchez was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Berkeley Kaiser was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Apache Junction only posted an OBP of .375.
Valley Christian's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.8 runs over those games. As for Crismon, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 19-6 record this season.
Both Crismon and Valley Christian just can't seem to miss. The Rattlers have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Valley Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
