Baseball Game Preview: Rowland Raiders vs. West Covina Bulldogs

For the second straight game, Rowland will face off against West Covina. The Raiders will face off against the Bulldogs at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Rowland is coming into the contest on a four-game losing streak.

Rowland fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against West Covina on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bulldogs by a score of 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Raiders have suffered since February 28th.

For West Covina's part, Marcus Mayweather was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Mayweather also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because West Covina is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 8-9 otherwise. Mayweather was even better at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.

In other pitching news, Michael Gutierrez looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Andrew Maldonado was excellent, going 1-for-4 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Marciano Ramirez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

West Covina lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

The victory made it two in a row for West Covina and bumps their season record up to 12-9. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Rowland, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-12.