Baseball Game Preview: Palm Desert Aztecs vs. Rancho Mirage Rattlers

The Palm Desert Aztecs will take on the Rancho Mirage Rattlers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

On Friday, Palm Desert sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over La Quinta. That's two games straight that the Aztecs have won by just one run.

Jake Brande

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/07/25 @ La Quinta	9
03/18/24 @ Shadow Hills	4
02/22/25 @ Canyon	3
04/03/24 vs Millikan	3
03/25/24 vs Palm Springs	2

Jake Brande spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.

At the plate, Palm Desert's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Stevie Hutchinson, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. That stolen base marked the first that Hutchinson snagged this season.

Meanwhile, Rancho Mirage waltzed into their game on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Saints. The two-run effort marked the Rattlers' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Rancho Mirage also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Gael Martinez gave up only one earned run on four hits and racked up six Ks. Martinez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

Rancho Mirage pushed their record up to 8-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.6 runs over those games. As for Palm Desert, they now have a winning record of 4-3.

Palm Desert came out on top in a nail-biter against Rancho Mirage when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Does Palm Desert have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rancho Mirage turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.