Baseball Game Preview: Desert Scorpions vs. California City Ravens

Desert hasn't had much luck against California City recently, but that could start to change on Friday. Desert will be playing in front of their home fans against California City at 3:15 p.m. Desert has given up an average of 6.8 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Desert came up short against Boron on Tuesday, falling 12-6. The match marked the Scorpions' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Alex Mendoza

Stolen Base

03/25/25 @ Boron	3
03/22/25 vs Lee Vining	2
03/10/25 vs Lone Pine	5
03/08/24 vs Mojave	4
03/07/24 vs Silver Valley	5
03/01/24 vs Eastside	1

Alex Mendoza stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games he's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Nick Webb, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, California City hadn't done well against Rosamond recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. California City walked away with a 6-2 victory over Rosamond. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Aaroon Moreno was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Moreno was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and two doubles.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kevin Hightower, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2. Isaac Valadez was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

California City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-5-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. Desert's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.

Desert might still be hurting after the 12-0 loss they got from California City when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can Desert avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.