The Big Valley Christian Lions will face off against the Riverbank Bruins at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Big Valley Christian has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Linden hit Big Valley Christian with a five-run fifth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. Big Valley Christian fell just short of Linden by a score of 8-6. That's two games in a row now that Big Valley Christian has lost by exactly two runs.
Ella Alavezos was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one run and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Morgan Merzon, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Meanwhile, Riverbank was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their 13th straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 12-11 heartbreaker at the hands of Summerville.
Maya Guzman put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and seven unearned) runs off nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 18 consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Briseida Felix and Arizona Navarro stepped up to the plate in a big way. Felix went 1-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base, while Navarro got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those runs marked the first that Navarro has scored this season. Avah Luu was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Riverbank's defeat dropped their record down to 2-18-1. As for Big Valley Christian, their loss dropped their record down to 7-15.
Riverbank's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Big Valley Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Riverbank, though, as they've only averaged .203. Will they be able to contain Big Valley Christian's hitters?
Big Valley Christian skirted past Riverbank 7-6 when the teams last played back in March. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Bruins have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
