The Citrus Valley Blackhawks are taking a road trip to take on the Beaumont Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Citrus Valley will be strutting in after a win while Beaumont will be coming in after a defeat.
On Tuesday, Citrus Valley beat Redlands 7-4. The Blackhawks haven't had any issues with the Terriers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Jake Clark looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Citrus Valley's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Matthew Bline, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Bline has posted since back in April of 2024. Adrien Candelaria also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Beaumont was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a 10-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of Yucaipa.
Jordan Ojeda made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Kolby Martin, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Even though they lost, Beaumont kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Beaumont's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Citrus Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 6-7.
Beaumont's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Citrus Valley has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .477. It's a different story for Beaumont, though, as they've only averaged .348. Will they be able to contain Citrus Valley's hitters?
Citrus Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Beaumont in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Citrus Valley since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
