Baseball Game Preview: Escondido Cougars vs. Valley Center Jaguars

For the second straight game, Escondido will face off against Valley Center. The Cougars will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Escondido 3.3, Valley Center 4.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.

It was a proper cat-fight when Escondido duked it out with Valley Center on Wednesday. The Cougars blew past the Jaguars 13-1. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight matchups by seven runs or more this season.

Ryder Taylor

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/07/25 @ Valley Center	9
04/21/25 vs Ramona	8
04/09/25 @ Canyon Crest Academy	8
03/21/25 @ El Camino	8
03/08/25 vs San Ysidro	8

Ryder Taylor made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Ronnie Witt was incredible, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Nathan Manganiello was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.

Valley Center has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost six of their last eight games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 12-11 record this season. As for Escondido, their victory bumped their record up to 17-7.