Valencia gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Birmingham Patriots 4-2. This was payback for Valencia, who suffered a 3-0 loss the last time these two teams met.
Justin Gaisford and Michael Mair dominated on the mound. Gaisford pitched two innings while giving up no earned run or hits, while Mair pitched two innings while giving up no earned run off two hits (he also only allowed one walk). Mair has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Valencia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chad Stanchfield, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Valencia's victory bumped their record up to 8-10-1. As for Birmingham, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-6-1 record this season.
Valencia is on the road again on Tuesday to play Chaminade at 3:30 p.m. Chaminade's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Valencia's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Birmingham, they will be playing in front of their home fans against El Camino Real at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Birmingham: 3.4, El Camino Real: 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
