Baseball Game Preview: Excelsior Charter Eagles vs. Hesperia Christian Patriots

For the second straight game, Excelsior Charter will face off against Hesperia Christian. The Eagles will head out to take on the Patriots at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Excelsior Charter has now lost seven straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since March 21.

Excelsior Charter managed to slip by Hesperia Christian the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Eagles came up short against the Patriots on Tuesday, falling 21-2.

For Hesperia Christian's part, Nathaniel Renner made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. Those seven strikeouts gave Renner a new career-high. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his six plate appearances with one home run, four stolen bases, and four runs. 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.

In other batting news, Hesperia Christian got a massive performance out of Gabe Sanchez, who went 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Sanchez is becoming a predictor of the Patriots' success: when he posts at least three hits the team is undefeated (and 6-10 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Ezra Hawthorne, who went 3-for-4 with five RBI, one run, and one double.

Hesperia Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .647. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

The win got Hesperia Christian back to even at 10-10. As for Excelsior Charter, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-15.