The Central Valley Hawks will head out to challenge the St. Mary's Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Central Valley will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Central Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top against Franklin by a score of 8-3.
Chris Garcia made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Garcia was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one triple. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Garcia wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ezequiel Verduzco, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Fernando Dominguez was another, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when St. Mary's and Lodi meet (two straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. The Rams were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over the Flames. Considering the Rams have won 13 matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Alex Escalante was excellent, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one double. Another player making a difference was Ethan Silva, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Central Valley pushed their record up to 21-8 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for St. Mary's, their record is now 21-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Central Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Mary's struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
