Xavier Prep hasn't had much luck against Palm Desert recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Saints will host the Aztecs at 6:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Xavier Prep 3.7, Palm Desert 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
La Quinta hit Xavier Prep with a four-run fourth inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Saints took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Blackhawks. The Saints have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Zain Valdivia was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Palm Desert waltzed into their game on Saturday with 11 straight wins... but they left with 12. They never let the Cougars get on the board and left with a 3-0 win.
Palm Desert also got a great performance from Tyler Nicolay as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. What's more, Nicolay posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mason Smith, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
Palm Desert hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in six consecutive matches.
Palm Desert's victory was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Xavier Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 11-14.
Xavier Prep couldn't quite get it done against Palm Desert in their previous meeting back in April as they fell 6-1. Will the Saints have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
