Baseball Recap: Sparks Comes Up Short

Sparks had lost four straight at home, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 1-19 to make it five. They lost 11-1 to the Portola Tigers. The Railroaders were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Tigers apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in March of 2022.

Sparks saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eli Flores, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.

As for Portola, with the victory, they broke their six-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-9. The high-scoring effort was just what they needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.

On Portola's side, Emery Powell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 15 Ks. Powell has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Tanner Vankol was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two). Another player making a difference was Joe Leal, who got on base in two of his five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Sparks has already played their next match, a 15-0 loss against North Valleys on the 19th. As for Portola, they will square off against Quincy at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Tigers' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Trojans have averaged an impressive 7.4 runs per game this season.