Baseball Game Preview: Lucerne Valley Mustangs vs. Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy

For the second straight game, Lucerne Valley will face off against Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy. The Mustangs will be playing in front of their home fans against Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Lucerne Valley has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with seven straight defeats, while Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy will come in with four straight wins.

Lucerne Valley lost 22-3 to Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy on Tuesday.

For Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy's part, Kevyn Espinoza and Geovanni Aparixo made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Espinoza pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Aparixo pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). At the plate, Espinoza went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs, while Aparixo scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Espinoza has become a key player for Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-6 otherwise.

In other batting news, Ryelon Brandt was a standout: he scored three runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Matthew Avila, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4.

Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .700. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Cobalt Institute of Math & Science Academy's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-7. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Lucerne Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.