Who: Palo Alto Vikings (10-3, 7-0) at Westmont Warriors (7-4, 5-4)
Where: Westmont High School, Campbell
When: Saturday, April 2, 11 a.m.

Why to Watch
One of the top hitting teams in the CCS takes on a team with some of the best pitching in the section, as the hot-hitting Palo Alto Vikings take on the strong-armed Westmont Warriors in a late-morning Saturday matchup.

The Vikings are hitting .372 as a team, with eight regulars hitting over .300. The offense is led by senior T.J. Braff, who has a team-high 20 RBIs over the first 13 games of the season. The 6-foot-4 slugger has hit two homers this season and has a team-high six extra-base hits.

Will Glazier (.419), B.J. Boyd (.571) and Austin Braff (.562) are all great hitters who have formed an excellent middle of the lineup for head coach Erick Raich.

The Vikings have some talented pitchers, as well. 6-foot-2 junior Ben Sneider has throw 35.2 innings and has posted a 0.39 ERA and 21 strikeouts. Sneider threw five innings on Wednesday, however, and may not be available to pitch this game.

The start will likely fall to fellow junior Kevin Kannappan, who has posted a 2.47 ERA but has been touched up on a couple of his starts.

Westmont’s lineup will need to jump on Kannappan or whoever starts this game for Palo Alto early for the team to have a chance. The Warriors are hitting just .276 as a team, but Jonathan Collins and Anthony Frediani are both capable hitters who can lead the offense on any given day.

If the bats are quiet through the early going, Westmont’s pitchers are talented enough to slow down the mighty Vikings’ offense. Marshall McKinnon and Brett Solano are both proven arms who can keep the Warriors in the game.

The Vikings are the more balanced team, but the team could be ripe for an upset. Look for the Warriors to jump out to a fast start and hold on late.

Westmont 5, Palo Alto 4