Ralston Valley proved they can win big last Thursday (they won by 11) but on Saturday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged the Fairview Knights out 8-6. Winning may never get old, but Ralston Valley sure is getting used to it with their third in a row.
Grant Belcher looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off three hits.
At the plate, Ralston Valley saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bret Baldwin, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
On Fairview's side, they got a good showing from Liam Goetz, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks). Goetz has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits every time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Jack Espiritu-Niswonger made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Leo Muth was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Ralston Valley pushed their record up to 7-4 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs per game. As for Fairview, they now have a losing record at 4-5.
Ralston Valley will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Chaparral at 4:00 p.m. As for Fairview, they will head out on the road to square off against Horizon at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Horizon is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 8.1 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
