Baseball Game Preview: Italy Gladiators vs. Rio Vista Eagles

Italy is 0-10 against Rio Vista since April of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Gladiators will head out on the road to square off against the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Italy has given up an average of 12.9 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Having struggled with eight defeats in a row, Italy turned things around against Frost on Tuesday. They walked away with a 15-11 victory over the Polar Bears. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Gladiators' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Grayson Jones was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trent Connor, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

Jones wasn't the only one making solid contact: Italy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

The home team had come away the winner the last four times Rio Vista and Itasca had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Eagles fell just short of the Wampus Cats by a score of 5-4 on Tuesday.

Rio Vista's loss dropped their record down to 8-10. As for Italy, their win was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 2-14.

Italy suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Rio Vista in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Gladiators avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.