The Patriot Warriors will take on the Jurupa Valley Jaguars at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Patriot will be strutting in after a win while Jurupa Valley will be coming in after a loss.
Patriot took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Norte Vista 3-2.
Dustin Thayer made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit (and only one walk). That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in March of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other pitching news, Daniel Saavedra looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Back at the plate, Paul Lopez-Ortiz was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Joey Ortiz, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one RBI.
Patriot hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in nine consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Jurupa Valley has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 4.08 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Monday. They lost 10-1 to Grand Terrace. The Jaguars' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
Jurupa Valley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nathan Martinez, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Jurupa Valley's loss dropped their record down to 8-4. As for Patriot, the win got them back to even at 7-7.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Patriot hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Jurupa Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .324. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Patriot couldn't quite finish off Jurupa Valley in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 and fell 4-2. Will Patriot have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
