Yucaipa has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.63 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Thursday. They fell just short of the Citrus Valley Blackhawks by a score of 14-12. That makes it the first time this season the Thunderbirds have let down their home crowd.
Xavier Romero put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Evan Heaton made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-5 with one home run and four RBI. Andrew Zarate was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
Yucaipa is on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 12-7. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only 1.33 runs. As for Citrus Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-9 record this season.
Yucaipa and Citrus Valley should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps California Rankings. The Thunderbirds (ranked 94th) will meet Beaumont (ranked 697th) at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Citrus Valley will challenge Redlands at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank advantage (198 vs. 458).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
