On Tuesday, it was a hard-fought contest, but the Hilltop Lancers had to settle for a 5-4 defeat against the Palo Verde Valley Yellow Jackets.
Brandon Murphy and Ivan Ortega stepped up to the plate in a big way. Murphy scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Ortega scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. Javier Meza was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
On Palo Verde Valley's side, Drew Wright was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Wright was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Matthew Figueroa was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Wesly Dill, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Hilltop has traveled a rocky road recently having lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-18-1 record this season. As for Palo Verde Valley, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-13-1.
Hilltop does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Palo Verde Valley, they will head out on the road to square off against Monte Vista at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Palo Verde Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
