The Rancho Christian Eagles will be taking part in a tournament against the Imperial Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Rancho Christian is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last nine games.
If Rancho Christian beats Imperial with 11 runs on Tuesday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. The Eagles' pitchers stepped up to hand Hemet an 11-0 shutout on Monday. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by seven runs or more this season.
Cody Horner made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Micah Kovacs was a standout: he went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. Sean Downs was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Rancho Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hemet only posted an OBP of .318.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Imperial). They were the clear victors by an 11-5 margin over West Hills on Monday. The Tigers not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since March 7th (when they won 10-0).
The team relied heavily on Santonio Ure?a, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February. Gianni Robles also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Rancho Christian's record is now 10-3. As for Imperial, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rancho Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Imperial struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
