The Jurupa Hills Spartans will take on the Rancho Verde Mustangs at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Jurupa Hills' victory against Miller wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Jurupa Hills had just enough and edged out Miller 5-4 on Saturday. The win continues a trend for the Spartans in their matchups with the Rebels: they've now won six in a row.
Aaden Lopez
| 03/01/25 vs Miller | 2 |
| 02/22/25 vs Moreno Valley | 2 |
| 02/18/25 @ Palm Springs | 0 |
Aaden Lopez made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Alejandro Preciado, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Matthew Toscano was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Jurupa Hills hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Miller struck out 11 times.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Rancho Verde ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They skirted past JW North 4-3. The victory was nothing new for the Mustangs as they're now sitting on three straight.
Rancho Verde saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ethan Montolfo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Another was David Hernandez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Rancho Verde pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 2.5 runs across that stretch. As for Jurupa Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.
Jurupa Hills was able to grind out a solid win over Rancho Verde in their previous matchup back in March of 2015, winning 4-1. Does Jurupa Hills have another victory up their sleeve, or will Rancho Verde turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
