Hesperia hasn't had much luck against Apple Valley recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Hesperia Scorpions will head out to challenge the Apple Valley Sun Devils at 3:15 p.m.
Things were looking good for Hesperia after they put the first points on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell 9-5 to Burroughs.
Hesperia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Josh Flores, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Dru Lona also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Apple Valley). They blew past Serrano 21-2 on Tuesday. Considering the Sun Devils have won five contests by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Christopher Alvarez was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Alvarez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isaiah Reveron, who got on base in five of his six plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Ethyn Doyle, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 3-for-5.
Apple Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Serrano only posted a batting average of .154.
Apple Valley is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. Hesperia's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3.
Thursday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hesperia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .455. However, it's not like Apple Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .442. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hesperia couldn't quite finish off Apple Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can Hesperia avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
