De Anza had lost nine straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 3-13-1 to make it ten. They took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Pinole Valley Spartans. The Dons were not able to make up for their defeat to the Spartans from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.
Ian Garcia made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two triples and two runs. Rhey Ramirez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
As for Pinole Valley, they have been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 12 games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-10-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games.
On Pinole Valley's side, Rey Malan made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Malan also tossed a walk, which is notable because Pinole Valley is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 6-10-1 otherwise. Malan was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Max Castro and Craig Jensen III did most of the damage at the plate: Castro went 1-for-2 with one home run and four RBI, while Jensen III went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those two doubles gave Jensen III a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Charles Vargas, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two runs.
While De Anza had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
