Elsinore and Murrieta Valley squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Elsinore had to settle for second. They fell 3-0 to the Murrieta Valley Nighthawks. Elsinore's loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Charlie Ruggles spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than six innings in four consecutive pitching appearances.
Even though they lost, Elsinore didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with eight strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Murrieta Valley only tossed three.
On Murrieta Valley's side, the result came thanks to Easton Wagoner's shutout, as he gave up just three hits.
On the hitting side, Murrieta Valley let Jesiah Generoso and Grant Harrison loose on the outfield. Generoso scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2, while Harrison went 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
Elsinore's defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 14-10-1. As for Murrieta Valley, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 16-12.
Elsinore does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Murrieta Valley, they will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Camarillo at 3:15 p.m. The timing isn't great for Murrieta Valley: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Camarillo has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
