River Valley hasn't had much luck against Chino Valley recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. River Valley will take on Chino Valley at 3:45 p.m. River Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Last Wednesday, River Valley got the win against Kingman by a conclusive 13-3. The win continues a trend for the Dust Devils in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won six in a row.
Mickey Gonzalez and Hunter Koehler were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Gonzalez struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Koehler tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Gonzalez went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI, while Koehler scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. That's the most runs Koehler has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Mickey Smith was a standout: he scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Zain Bruton also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, Chino Valley narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Camp Verde 7-5.
Like River Valley, Chino Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Caden Todd. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Todd was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Todd wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Freddie Garcia, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another was Kaycin Pickett, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Chino Valley now has a winning record of 4-3-1. As for River Valley, their record is now 5-2-2.
Chino Valley's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: River Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .374. It's a different story for Chino Valley, though, as they've only averaged .252. Will they be able to contain River Valley's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
