Baseball Game Preview: Temecula Valley Golden Bears vs. Murrieta Mesa Rams

The Temecula Valley Golden Bears are taking a road trip to take on the Murrieta Mesa Rams at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Temecula Valley will be strutting in after a win while Murrieta Mesa will be coming in after a defeat.

While Temecula Valley's victory against Chaparral wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Golden Bears narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Pumas 4-3. The Golden Bears haven't had any issues with the Pumas recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Taden Krogsgaard made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Krogsgaard was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, Ryan Recio was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, Murrieta Mesa suffered their biggest loss since March 19th on Thursday. They came up short against Murrieta Valley, falling 10-2. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 25, 2024, but that streak is no more.

Zach Janczyk made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two doubles and one run.

Murrieta Mesa's defeat dropped their record down to 10-7. As for Temecula Valley, their record now sits at 11-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Temecula Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Murrieta Mesa struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Temecula Valley took their win against Murrieta Mesa when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Golden Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.