After flying high against Whittier last Wednesday, El Rancho came back down to earth. The El Rancho Dons fell just short of the Whittier Cardinals by a score of 8-6 on Friday. El Rancho was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Whittier apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played.
El Rancho got a good showing from Erick Cortes, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned run off one hit.
On the hitting side, Noah Rios made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. He hasn't dropped below two stolen bases for three straight games.
On Whittier's side, Saco Griego made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Griego was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Griego wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Carl Collins, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
El Rancho has not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-13 record this season. As for Whittier, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-14-1.
El Rancho will face off against Tahquitz at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Tahquitz's pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so El Rancho's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Whittier, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Santa Fe at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Whittier is out to stop a three-game streak of losses at home.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
