Salinas was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They fell just short of the St. Francis Sharks by a score of 4-3. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Salinas of the 11-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in March.
Salinas got a good showing from Nathan Vazquez, who tossed two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Vazquez has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Salinas saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jordan Isla, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Jake Yeater was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, Salinas didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Francis only tossed six.
On St. Francis' side, JR Pedro Ibarra made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Ibarra was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
Salinas' defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 13-10. As for St. Francis, the win (which was their tenth in a row) raised their record to 17-4.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Salinas will take on Monterey at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Monterey: 3.5, Salinas: 3.7) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for St. Francis, they will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against Monte Vista Christian at 4:00 p.m. Monte Vista Christian is coming into the game with 13 straight losses on the road, meaning St. Francis will have to defend against a squad hungry for a victory.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
