Folsom Lake Sweeps LA Valley in Dominant Road Series
The Folsom Lake College Falcons continued their early-season dominance, sweeping the LA Valley Monarchs in a three-game road series, capping it off with a resounding 12-2 victory. The Falcons improved to 8-1 on the season, while the Monarchs fell to 3-5.
Game 1: Falcons Use the Long Ball to Take Series Opener, 5-2
Folsom Lake used timely hitting and power to take the series opener, defeating LA Valley 5-2. The Falcons relied on three home runs from Michael Ryan, Asa Martinez, and Connor Barth to generate their offense.
Starting pitcher Nolan Lawrie (1-0) delivered 4.2 innings of solid work, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three. The bullpen shut the door, with Andrew Balentine, Noah Madsen, and Jarren Ekkelboom combining for 4.1 shutout innings. Ekkelboom earned his first save of the season, striking out three in the ninth.
LA Valley's two runs came in the fifth inning, capitalizing on a wild pitch and an RBI single from Sebastian Garcia. However, the Monarchs couldn't muster enough offense against Folsom Lake's dominant pitching.
Game 2: Late Surge Pushes Falcons to 7-3 Victory
A strong start and late insurance runs propelled the Falcons to a 7-3 win in Game 2. Folsom Lake jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to an RBI double from Logan Pruski.
LA Valley fought back with solo runs in the fourth and fifth innings, including a solo homer by Casey Skett, cutting the lead to 3-2. However, the Falcons responded in the seventh with a two-run double from Asa Martinez and added two more in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
Starting pitcher Keisen Hayden (1-0) was stellar, allowing just two earned runs over six innings while striking out six. Andy Uharriet closed it out, pitching the final three innings and allowing only an unearned run.
Game 3: Martinez's Six RBI Performance Leads Falcons to Blowout Win
The series finale was all Folsom Lake as the Falcons put up five runs in the first inning and never looked back, rolling to a 12-2 victory.
Asa Martinez was the star of the game, launching two home runs and driving in six runs in a monster performance at the plate. Michael Ryan and Logan Pruski also contributed RBIs as the Falcons' offense overwhelmed the Monarchs' pitching.
On the mound, Folsom Lake used a deep bullpen effort, with Noah Kenney, Ryder Slatten, and four other relievers combining to allow just two runs while striking out nine.
Falcons Stay Hot Heading Into Conference Play
With the sweep, Folsom Lake continues to showcase its ability to win in different ways—whether through power, pitching, or timely hitting. The Falcons will look to carry their momentum into their next series as they prepare for conference play.