Baseball Game Preview: Rialto Knights vs. Grand Terrace Titans

The Rialto Knights will face off against the Grand Terrace Titans at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Rialto 2.6, Grand Terrace 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Last Wednesday, Rialto didn't have quite enough to beat Temecula Valley and fell 5-4. The matchup marked the Knights' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Rialto saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Izzeah Zepeda, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Grand Terrace's hitters rose to the challenge against a Jaguars pitching crew that boasted an average of only 4.08 runs allowed on Monday. Grand Terrace put the hurt on Jurupa Valley with a sharp 10-1 win.

Noe Villanueva tossed a big game, pitching 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He is becoming a predictor of Grand Terrace's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 4-2 (and 3-4 when he doesn't).

At the plate, Grand Terrace got a massive performance out of Vasili Kazaltzes, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. Those three RBI gave Kazaltzes a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ezekiel Jahen, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.

Grand Terrace now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Rialto, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 5-2.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rialto has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grand Terrace struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Rialto couldn't quite get it done against Grand Terrace when the teams last played back in March of 2024 as they fell 4-1. Can Rialto avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.