El Cerrito and Pinole Valley are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Gauchos will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against the Spartans at 4:00 p.m. El Cerrito is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times El Cerrito and De Anza have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. The Gauchos put the hurt on the Dons with a sharp 11-3 win.
William Reddall was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was even better at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Evan Tank looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
Reggie Burnham
| 04/11/25 vs De Anza | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Salesian College Preparatory | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Skyline | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ De Anza | 1 |
| 03/03/25 vs Santa Rosa | 1 |
Back at the plate, El Cerrito got a big performance out of Reggie Burnham, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave Burnham a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Solomon McCormick, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
El Cerrito kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Pinole Valley unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They came up short against Fairfield, falling 15-5.
Craig Jensen III was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. Pinole Valley is 2-1 when Jensen III posts two or more runs, but 3-8-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Castro, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
El Cerrito's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.9 runs over those games. As for Pinole Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-9-1.
El Cerrito couldn't quite get it done against Pinole Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 7-4. Can the Gauchos avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
