Baseball Game Preview: East Bakersfield Blades vs. South Spartans

For the second straight game, East Bakersfield will face off against South. The Blades will head out on the road to square off against the Spartans at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. East Bakersfield is coming into the contest on a five-game losing streak.

East Bakersfield fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against South on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Spartans. That's two games in a row now that the Blades have lost by exactly four runs.

For South's part, Josh Encinas made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single hit and allowed only one earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Encinas has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing five bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of South's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 7-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Jose Bojorquez was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. He has become a key player for South: the team is 8-2 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 2-3 otherwise. Alex Portillo was another key player, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and two runs.

South lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.

East Bakersfield's defeat dropped their record down to 6-10. As for South, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-5.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Bakersfield has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like South struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.