Baseball Recap: Kofa Takes a Loss

If Kofa was riding high fresh off their 15-3 takedown of Gila Ridge last Wednesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. Kofa fell just short of the Cesar Chavez Champions by a score of 14-13 on Thursday. The Kings were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Champions apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February of 2022.

Kofa got a good showing from Ernesto Hernandez, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits. What's more, Hernandez gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024.

On the hitting side, Ozzie Ortiz and Ivan Bonillas did some serious damage despite the final result: Ortiz scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Bonillas went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs Ortiz has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Walther Gallegos, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two doubles.

Even though they lost, Kofa kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. This was only their first loss (out of four games) when they post 11 or more hits.

Kofa's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-6. As for Cesar Chavez, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.

Coming up, Kofa will head out to face off against Sunnyside at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Cesar Chavez, they will host Maryvale at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. This will be Cesar Chavez's first chance to prove their worth in the conference.