Johansen is 0-4 against Central Valley since March of 2019 but things could change on Tuesday. The Vikings will look to defend their home field against the Hawks at 4:00 p.m.
On Thursday, Johansen didn't have quite enough to beat Lathrop and fell 7-5. That's two games in a row now that the Vikings have lost by exactly two runs.
Lava Vaka made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrian Regalado, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Central Valley came tearing into Thursday's contest with seven straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Wolves a 12-0 shutout. Considering the Hawks have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Tyson Hunt was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ezequiel Verduzco and Isaias Valdovinos did most of the damage at the plate: Verduzco went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Valdovinos went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits Valdovinos has posted since back in March of 2025. Fernando Dominguez was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs and one double.
Central Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .559. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Livingston only posted an OBP of .167.
Central Valley's victory bumped their record up to 10-4. As for Johansen, their loss dropped their record down to 1-11.
Johansen might still be hurting after the 9-0 defeat they got from Central Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
