Baseball Game Preview: Bolsa Grande Matadors vs. Rancho Alamitos Vaqueros

For the second straight game, Bolsa Grande will face off against Rancho Alamitos. The Matadors will venture away from home to square off against the Vaqueros at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Bolsa Grande has five straight wins, Rancho Alamitos has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Bolsa Grande lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Rancho Alamitos, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's contest. The Matadors were the clear victors by a 15-5 margin over the Vaqueros on Tuesday. Considering the Matadors have won six games by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Mikey Haley Jr. and Julian Mendoza made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, Haley Jr. struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Mendoza pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Haley Jr. scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Mendoza scored a run while going 1-for-2. Haley Jr. also hit a double, marking his first of the season.

In other batting news, Bolsa Grande got a massive performance out of Samuel Montes De Oca, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs, and one double. Those two triples gave Montes De Oca a new career-high. Martin Cobarrubias was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.

Bolsa Grande's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.4 runs over those games. As for Rancho Alamitos, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.