Baseball Game Preview: Bloomington Bruins vs. Fontana Steelers

The Bloomington Bruins will take on the Fontana Steelers at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Fontana took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Bloomington, who comes in off a win.

Bloomington is looking to give their home crowd another W after opening their season at home on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Pacific with a sharp 14-2 victory.

Ricardo Sanchez made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single hit, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.

In other batting news, Anthony Navarro was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in both of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Julian Andrade, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Bloomington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.

Meanwhile, Fontana had to start their season on the road on Monday, and it wasn't the start they were hoping for. They came up short against Jurupa Hills, falling 13-2. The Steelers have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost matchup.

Fontana saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Fernando Padilla, who went a perfect3-for-3 with two RBI and one double. Oscar Martinez was another, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base.

Bloomington took their win against Fontana in their previous meeting back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 13-6. Does Bloomington have another victory up their sleeve, or will Fontana turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.