Poly has gone 8-1 against Rancho Verde recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Bears will venture away from home to square off against the Mustangs at 10:00 a.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Saturday.
Rancho Verde will be up against a hot Poly team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. Everything went the Bears' way against Moreno Valley on Friday as they made off with a 9-2 win.
Danny Bedford spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
Keaton Pilliter
| 03/27/26 @ Moreno Valley | 3 |
| 03/25/26 vs Moreno Valley | 1 |
| 02/21/26 vs Shadow Hills | 1 |
| 05/20/25 @ Long Beach Poly | 1 |
| 05/15/25 vs Hueneme | 1 |
On the hitting side, Keaton Pilliter was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Michael Neri also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Poly was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Moreno Valley only posted a batting average of .269.
Rancho Verde came out on top against Hemet on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run fifth inning. The Mustangs blew past the Bulldogs 12-2.
Ethan Montolfo made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Montolfo was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on David Hernandez, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Hector Rivas, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
Poly's record is now 9-3. As for Rancho Verde, their record now sits at 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Poly has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Rancho Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Poly was able to grind out a solid victory over Rancho Verde in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, winning 6-2. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
