The Indio Rajahs will head out on the road to square off against the Coachella Valley Mighty Arabs at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Indio sitting on eight straight wins and Coachella Valley on six.
Indio came out on top against Twentynine Palms on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fifth inning. The Rajahs took their game against the Wildcats 6-2.
Jose Rodriguez made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jesse Arreola, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. Ricky Cordova was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Coachella Valley). Everything went their way against Yucca Valley on Thursday as they made off with a 20-1 victory. With that win, the Mighty Arabs brought their scoring average up to 6.7 runs per game.
Like Indio, Coachella Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Dario Davila. Throwing, Davila tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Rey Figueroa pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Coachella Valley is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 7-8 otherwise. At bat, Davila got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI, while Figueroa got on base in all five of his plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave Davila a new career-high.
In other batting news, Daniel Ceja was incredible, going 2-for-4 with six RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Angel Diaz, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one double.
Coachella Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .646. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Indio's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-11. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Coachella Valley, their record now sits at 10-8.
Indio came out on top in a nail-biter against Coachella Valley in their previous matchup back in April, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rajahs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
