Baseball Game Preview: Arroyo Valley Hawks vs. Bloomington Bruins

The Arroyo Valley Hawks will venture away from home to square off against the Bloomington Bruins at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Arroyo Valley will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Saturday, then bounced right back against JW North on Tuesday. Arroyo Valley was the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over JW North.

Ian Escobar

Earned Runs

02/27/25 @ Rancho Verde	5
03/01/25 vs Grand Terrace	1
02/20/25 @ Miller	1

Jake Jimenez and Ian Escobar made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Jimenez tossed six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Meanwhile, Escobar tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Arroyo Valley is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise. At bat, Jimenez scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Escobar scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, Escobar posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in February of 2024.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Michael Rosas, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Bloomington earned a 7-4 victory over Nuview Bridge on Saturday. The Bruins haven't had any issues with the Knights recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Ricardo Sanchez was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Nathan Martin, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Arroyo Valley now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Bloomington, their record is now 4-2.

Arroyo Valley might still be hurting after the 10-1 loss they got from Bloomington in their previous matchup back in March of 2022. Can Arroyo Valley avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.