Baseball Recap: Bakersfield Takes a Loss

Bakersfield extended their losing streak to seven on Monday, dropping their season record down to 2-23-1 in the process. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-5 heartbreaker at the hands of the Independence Falcons. The Drillers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Falcons apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in April of 2024.

Noah Medrano

Earned Runs

05/05/25 @ Independence	1
04/30/25 @ Ridgeview	0
04/21/25 vs Bakersfield Christian	1
04/14/25 vs Kingsburg	1
04/11/25 @ Centennial	1

Noah Medrano was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Josiah Johnson made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. Caleb Singh was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

As for Independence, they moved to 14-12 with that victory, which also ended their four-game losing streak. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win they have posted since March 11th.

On Independence's side, Jace Gillenwater made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He tossed 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Gillenwater also tossed a walk, which is notable because Independence is 5-2 when he allows at most one walk, but 9-10 otherwise. Gillenwater was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI.

In other batting news, David Baralt Portillo was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with six stolen bases and two runs. Those six stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaiden Godfrey, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.

While Bakersfield had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.