Blue Ridge is a perfect 3-0 against Chino Valley since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Yellow Jackets will square off against the Cougars at 3:45 p.m. Blue Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9 runs per game this season.
If Blue Ridge beats Chino Valley with eight runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. The Yellow Jackets were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over Holbrook on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Yellow Jackets.
Blue Ridge got a great performance from Cooper Phillips as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched.
Karson Rosenthal
| 04/08/25 vs Holbrook | 3 |
| 03/28/25 @ Alchesay | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs ALA - Ironwood | 1 |
| 03/18/25 vs Monument Valley | 1 |
| 03/10/25 @ Globe | 1 |
On the hitting side, Blue Ridge let Karson Rosenthal and Hunter Krause run wild. Rosenthal scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4, while Krause scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Those three stolen bases gave Rosenthal a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Graesyn Kendzlic, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Chino Valley). They blew past Winslow 16-2 on Wednesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Cougars with their most commanding win of the season.
Freddie Garcia was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He has become a key player for Chino Valley: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-6-1 otherwise.
In other batting news, Chino Valley got a massive performance out of Jacob Boivin, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Boivin also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Ryan Lamotte was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Chino Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Blue Ridge's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Chino Valley, their record is now 6-7-1.
Everything went Blue Ridge's way against Chino Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, as Blue Ridge made off with a 12-6 win. Will the Yellow Jackets repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
