Baseball Recap: Escondido Has No Trouble Against Valley Center

Cougars

Margin (Wins)

05/02/25 @ San Dieguito Academy	17
03/01/25 @ Morse	14
05/07/25 @ Valley Center	12
03/26/25 vs Olympian	10
04/09/25 @ Canyon Crest Academy	8

It was a proper cat-fight when Escondido challenged Valley Center on Wednesday. The Cougars blew past the Jaguars 13-1. Considering the Cougars have won eight games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Ryder Taylor was a major factor 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). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, 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. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nathan Manganiello, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.

Escondido kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valley Center only managed three hits.

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

The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: Escondido beat Valley Center by a score of 4-3 on Friday.