The Arroyo Valley Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Rancho Verde Mustangs at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Arroyo Valley: 4, Rancho Verde: 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Arroyo Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-4 win over Palm Springs.
Jake Jimenez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four runs allowed (all of which were unearned) on four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned runs in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Arroyo Valley's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Miguel Acosta, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Acosta also put up a hit, which was his first of the season.
Arroyo Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday Rancho Verde sidestepped Miller for a 4-2 win.
The team relied heavily on Caden Coppola, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was David Hernandez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Arroyo Valley pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.6 runs over those games. As for Rancho Verde, their record now sits at 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Arroyo Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rancho Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
