California City hasn't had much luck against Bishop Union recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Ravens will head out on the road to challenge the Broncos at 3:15 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
California City's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over Mammoth. Winning may never get old, but the Ravens sure are getting used to it with their eighth in a row.
Aaroon Moreno
| 05/06/25 vs Mammoth | 11 |
| 04/26/25 vs Del Oro | 8 |
| 03/04/25 vs North | 8 |
| 03/25/25 vs Rosamond | 6 |
| 04/15/25 vs Golden Valley | 5 |
Aaroon Moreno and Kole Hightower were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Moreno didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Hightower pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave Moreno a new career-high. At the plate, Moreno went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI, while Hightower went 2-for-3 with five stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, California City got a massive performance out of Joshua Baiza, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most hits Baiza has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kevin Hightower, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs.
California City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .500 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Bishop Union gave up the first runs on Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. Everything went their way against Desert as they made off with a 16-4 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Broncos, who have now won five games in a row.
Will Kemp made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with three runs and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mike Trejo, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, five RBI, and two runs. Karson Hohenstien was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
California City pushed their record up to 17-9-1 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Union, their record is now 15-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. California City has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bishop Union struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
California City came out on top in a nail-biter against Bishop Union in their previous meeting back in April, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ravens since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
