Indio is 9-1 against Yucca Valley since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Rajahs will challenge the Trojans at 3:30 p.m. Indio will be strutting in after a victory while Yucca Valley will be coming in after a loss.
On Tuesday, Indio sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 win over Twentynine Palms. The Rajahs haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.
Noah Hernandez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Indio is 6-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 7-8 otherwise.
Luis Olivarez
| 04/28/26 vs Twentynine Palms | 2 |
| 04/14/26 @ Yucca Valley | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Yucca Valley | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Indian Springs | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs San Jacinto | 1 |
At the plate, Luis Olivarez was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
Yucca Valley couldn't beat Coachella Valley on Tuesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Trojans fell just short of the Mighty Arabs by a score of 7-6. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Landen Bradshaw was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Cole Thompson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Indio's win bumped their record up to 13-9. As for Yucca Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Indio has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Yucca Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Indio beat Yucca Valley 7-4 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rajahs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
