The Rialto Knights are taking a road trip to square off against the Kaiser Cats at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Rialto has given up an average of 11.6 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
On Wednesday, Rialto didn't have quite enough to beat Bloomington and fell 14-13. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Tuesday (ten), the Knights still had to take the loss.
Delilah Munoz and Johanna Zamano stepped up to the plate in a big way. Munoz went 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Zamano went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Desiree Saldate was another key player, going 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, Kaiser got the win against Jurupa Hills on Wednesday by a conclusive 10-3.
Vanessa Contreras was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Contreras was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI.
In other batting news, Aubriana Espinoza and Alyssa Rios did most of the damage at the plate: Espinoza got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI, while Rios went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Christina Diaz also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Kaiser always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jurupa Hills only posted an OBP of .241.
Rialto has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-13 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Kaiser, their record now sits at 7-13.
Rialto couldn't quite get it done against Kaiser in their previous meeting back in April of 2022 as they fell 6-3. Can the Knights avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
