Baseball Recap: Riverbank Comes Up Short

Riverbank extended their losing streak (dating back to last season) to 22 on Friday, dropping their season record down to 0-17 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-3 heartbreaker at the hands of the Big Valley Christian Lions. Unfortunately, that's the third time they've come up short against the Lions this season, with their most recent loss being a 8-4 defeat on Tuesday.

Riverbank saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Anthony Rios, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI. That run was Rios' first of the season.

As for Big Valley Christian, their win ended a six-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-13-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory they have posted since March 21st.

On Big Valley Christian's side, Jackson Howell made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Howell is becoming a predictor of Big Valley Christian's success: when he posts at least ten strikeouts the team is undefeated (and 2-13-1 when he doesn't). Howell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.

In other batting news, Alex Avila was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.

Riverbank has already played their next match, a 13-2 defeat against Calaveras on the 29th. As for Big Valley Christian, they also didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 13-6 loss against Bret Harte on the 29th.