The Jurupa Valley Jaguars will challenge the Norte Vista Braves at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday.
Things were looking good for Jurupa Valley after they put the first points on the board on Tuesday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Patriot by a score of 8-7. The Jaguars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Nicholas Higgins made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Del Rio, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Norte Vista hadn't done well against La Sierra recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Braves had just enough and edged out the Eagles 7-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Braves.
Joel Najera spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and three unearned) runs on 12 hits.
At the plate, Norte Vista's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Cole Henderson, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Another was Edgar Montalvo, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double.
Norte Vista's win was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 4-8. As for Jurupa Valley, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 3-1 and their overall record down to 8-5.
Norte Vista's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Jurupa Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Norte Vista, though, as they've been averaging only 3.8 strikeouts. Will Jurupa Valley keep running through batters, or will the Braves buck the trend?
Jurupa Valley took their victory against Norte Vista in their previous meeting back in March of 2021 by a conclusive 19-3 score. Do the Jaguars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Braves turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
