The Rialto Knights will venture away from home to take on the Bloomington Bruins at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Rialto is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Rialto took a 12-run loss the last time they faced off against Riverside Prep, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Knights sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 14-13 win over the Silver Knights on Monday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Knights needed considering they were shut out in their previous match.
David Rodriguez
| 04/07/25 vs Riverside Prep | 2 |
| 04/02/25 vs Grand Terrace | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Temecula Valley | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Bloomington | 1 |
| 03/17/25 @ Carter | 1 |
David Rodriguez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Rialto let Hugo Sanchez and Aydin Ayala run wild. Sanchez scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4, while Ayala scored a run while going 2-for-4. George Morales was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Rialto always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .628. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Bloomington was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Notre Dame.
Bloomington saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ricardo Sanchez, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Rialto's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Bloomington, they now have a losing record of 7-8.
Bloomington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rialto hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .314. It's a different story for Bloomington, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Rialto's hitters?
Rialto took their victory against Bloomington in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
