Baseball Recap: El Cajon Valley Takes a Loss

El Cajon Valley had lost eight straight at home, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 0-11 to make it nine. They came up short against the Santana Sultans, falling 23-1. The Braves were not able to make up for their loss to the Sultans from their previous meeting back in May of 2016.

El Cajon Valley saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luis Espinoza, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. That RBI was Espinoza's first of the season.

As for Santana, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 8-10. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

On Santana's side, Gavin Kelly made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Kelly has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, earning four RBI, one run, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other pitching news, Brandon Landers looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Santana: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most three hits, but 6-9 otherwise.

Back at the plate, Joseph Dibble was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brennan Weed, who went 1-for-2 with three runs and one RBI.

While El Cajon Valley 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 Friday.