Baseball Game Preview: Walnut Mustangs vs. Montebello Oilers

The Walnut Mustangs will take on the Montebello Oilers in a tournament on Wednesday. Walnut is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.

Walnut is headed into the contest having just suffered their closest loss since April 8th on Tuesday. They fell just short of Dana Hills by a score of 6-4.

Meanwhile, Montebello narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Los Altos 2-1. The Oilers haven't had any issues with the Conquerors recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Fernando Cruz made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Cruz was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March.

In other pitching news, Ben Richards looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Michael Rios, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Cervantes, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base.

Walnut's defeat dropped their record down to 8-17. As for Montebello, their win bumped their record up to 18-8.

Walnut skirted past Montebello 2-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Oilers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.