The Kofa Kings will head out on the road to challenge the Sunnyside Blue Devils at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Kofa has given up an average of 7.5 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Thursday, Kofa didn't have quite enough to beat Cesar Chavez and fell 14-13. Even though they lost, the Kings' still made a splash at the plate and bumped their average scoring up to 6.2 runs per game (they're now ranked -1th in scoring overall).
Kofa got a good showing from Ernesto Hernandez, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits. Furthermore, Hernandez didn't allow a single walk, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Ozzie Ortiz and Ivan Bonillas stepped up to the plate in a big way. Ortiz scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances, while Bonillas went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs Ortiz has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Jose Castro, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Even though they lost, Kofa kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Sunnyside was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Desert View.
Sunnyside's loss dropped their record down to 9-6. As for Kofa, their defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-6.
Kofa was able to grind out a solid win over Sunnyside when the teams last played back in April of 2018, winning 9-6. Will Kofa repeat their success, or does Sunnyside has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
