Pinole Valley and El Cerrito are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Spartans will challenge the Gauchos at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Pinole Valley managed to slip by Fairfield the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Spartans lost 15-5 to the Falcons on Tuesday. The Spartans' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Craig Jensen III
| 04/15/25 @ Fairfield | 3 |
| 04/09/25 vs Salesian College Preparatory | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Saint Mary's | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Las Lomas | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs Campolindo | 1 |
Craig Jensen III made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. He is becoming a predictor of Pinole Valley's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 3-8-1 when he doesn't). Max Castro was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, El Cerrito had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over the Dons. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
William Reddall made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Evan Tank looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, El Cerrito got a big performance out of Reggie Burnham, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave Burnham a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Schulz, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
El Cerrito hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive matches.
El Cerrito's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Pinole Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 5-9-1.
Pinole Valley beat El Cerrito 7-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Gauchos turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
