The Escondido Cougars will face off against the Valley Center Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Escondido's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on San Dieguito Academy with a sharp 17-0 win. The Cougars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by seven runs or more this season.
Ryder Taylor and Ace Sanchez were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Taylor didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Meanwhile, Sanchez pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. At bat, Taylor went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Sanchez got on base in four of his six plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Sanchez a new career-high.
Andrew Carrilo
| 05/02/25 @ San Dieguito Academy | 5 |
| 04/23/25 @ Ramona | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Canyon Crest Academy | 3 |
| 03/01/25 @ Morse | 3 |
| 04/25/25 vs Ramona | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Andrew Carrilo, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kaden Hermsen, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base.
Escondido was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .421. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as San Dieguito Academy only posted a batting average of .087.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Valley Center). Everything went their way against Canyon Crest Academy last Friday as they made off with a 10-0 victory. The win was some much needed relief for the Jaguars as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
Jacob Janata made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 13 over six innings pitched. He is becoming a predictor of Valley Center's success: when he posts at least ten strikeouts the team is 3-1 (and 8-9 when he doesn't). Janata was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Daniel Subish was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Valley Center: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 8-10 otherwise. Jonathan Teter was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
With the victory, Escondido broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 16-6. As for Valley Center, they now have a winning record of 11-10.
