Baseball Game Preview: Rio Americano Raiders vs. Cordova Lancers

The Rio Americano Raiders will face off against the Cordova Lancers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Neither Rio Americano nor Cordova posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Rio Americano is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Yuba City just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Honkers. The loss was the Raiders' first of the season.

Rio Americano got a good showing from Carter Dean, who struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk).

At the plate, Rio Americano saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Will Parilo, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base. That stolen base was Parilo's first of the season.

Meanwhile, Cordova was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 5-2 to Inderkum, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Nathaniel Jones was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Jones was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.

Cordova's defeat dropped their record down to 0-3-1. As for Rio Americano, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Rio Americano has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cordova struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Rio Americano took their win against Cordova in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 10-0. Does Rio Americano have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cordova turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.