The Xavier Prep Saints will venture away from home to face off against the Bloomington Bruins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Xavier Prep was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Lakeside on Thursday. Xavier Prep was the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over Lakeside. The result was nothing new for the Saints, who have now won three matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Zain Valdivia was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits. Valdivia was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. Those stolen bases were his first of the season.
In other pitching news, Juan Pablo De La Torre looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Xavier Prep let Vincent Scarborough and Elijah Castro run wild. Scarborough scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Castro scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance gave Scarborough a new career-high in stolen bases. Vanjuan Vladimirov was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Bloomington never let their opponents score on Thursday. Everything went their way against Cathedral City as Bloomington made off with a 13-0 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Bruins' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Robert Bliss looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ricardo Sanchez, who scored three runs and stole seven bases while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Adan Jimenez, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-2.
Xavier Prep's win ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-1. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only two runs. As for Bloomington, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
