Dinuba had lost five straight on the road, but on Friday they dropped down to 3-10 to make it six. They took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tulare Western Mustangs. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 11-0 on Wednesday.
As for Tulare Western, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-5-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games.
For Tulare Western's part, Omar Cortez looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Cortez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Matthew Corral was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2025. Ian Valencia also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Looking ahead, Dinuba will be taking part in a tournament against Sanger at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday. The Apaches' pitching crew has only allowed 2.3 runs per game this season, so the Emperors' hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Tulare Western, they will take on Bakersfield in a tournament on Monday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
