Baseball Game Preview: Grace Davis Spartans vs. Central Valley Hawks

For the second straight game, Grace Davis will face off against Central Valley. The Spartans will host the Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Grace Davis is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.

Grace Davis came up short against Central Valley on Tuesday, falling 17-4.

For Central Valley's part, Chris Garcia was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Garcia has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Andre Flores, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Ezequiel Verduzco, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.

Central Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .622. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March of 2024.

Central Valley has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Grace Davis, their loss dropped their record down to 13-12.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grace Davis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Central Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.