Whittier had lost three straight at home, but on Wednesday they dropped down to 9-9 to make it four. They came up short against the El Rancho Dons, falling 10-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Dons this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 4-0 back in March.
Ryan Jimenez
| 04/08/26 @ St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy | 5 |
| 03/25/26 vs Wilson | 3 |
| 04/15/26 vs El Rancho | 2 |
| 02/27/26 vs Rowland | 2 |
| 02/25/26 vs Victor Valley | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Ryan Jimenez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He is becoming a predictor of Whittier's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 4-1 (and 5-8 when he doesn't). Barin Lecea was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one RBI.
As for El Rancho, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 15-8. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games.
On El Rancho's side, Alex Aparcio was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Aparcio has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Daniel Reyes looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
Back at the plate, David Padilla and Esteban Gonzalez did most of the damage at the plate: Padilla got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Gonzalez went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI and one double. Those four hits gave Gonzalez a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Matthew Borquez, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
The teams didn't have to wait long for a rematch: Whittier beat El Rancho by a score of 3-1 on Friday.
