Preview: Citrus Valley Blackhawks vs. Redlands East Valley Wildcats
Citrus Valley and Redlands East Valley are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Citrus Valley Blackhawks will head out on the road to face off against the Redlands East Valley Wildcats at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Citrus Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Last Saturday, Citrus Valley got the win against Cajon by a conclusive 11-3.
Citrus Valley got a great performance from Kade Finazzo as he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits.
At the plate, Cole West was a standout: he scored three runs while going 3-for-3. Ryan Rossi was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Redlands East Valley fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Jurupa Valley on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Jaguars by a score of 8-6.
Ty Whittle put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Whittle was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Arthur Chavez and Connor Towns stepped up to the plate in a big way. Chavez scored a run while going 2-for-4, while Towns went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Citrus Valley now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Redlands East Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Citrus Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Redlands East Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Citrus Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over Redlands East Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Citrus Valley since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
