The San Jacinto Valley Academy Wolves are taking a road trip to challenge the Rancho Mirage Rattlers at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. San Jacinto Valley Academy is coming into the contest hot, having won their last ten games.
San Jacinto Valley Academy took a six-run defeat the last time they faced off against Santa Rosa Academy, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Wolves beat the Rangers on Friday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-4.
Canon Fletcher
| 03/12/25 @ San Jacinto Leadership Academy | 4 |
| 04/07/25 vs California Military Institute | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ California Military Institute | 3 |
| 03/21/25 vs United Christian Academy | 3 |
| 04/18/25 vs Santa Rosa Academy | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
Carter Kelly and Canon Fletcher did most of the damage at the plate: Kelly went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while Fletcher went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs. Fletcher is becoming a predictor of San Jacinto Valley Academy's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 5-7 when he doesn't). Chayce Paine was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rancho Mirage, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Saturday. They walked away with a 6-2 victory over Palm Springs on Tuesday.
Rancho Mirage also got a great performance from Jayden Cunningham as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave Cunningham a new career-high.
At the plate, Kobee Finnikin was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jesus Gutierrez, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
San Jacinto Valley Academy's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.6 runs over those games. As for Rancho Mirage, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 10-11.
San Jacinto Valley Academy might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Rancho Mirage when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
