Slowly but surely the Riverbank High baseball team is putting together a decent product to compete in the Trans-Valley League, yet the squad was introduced to the league's perennial powerhouse and the introduction turned ugly in a hurry in a 15-1 loss to Escalon High.
Riverbank pushed across a run in its half of the first to take a brief lead in the March 13 meeting. They came a single out away from getting out of the inning in the bottom of the first when Escalon began a two-out nightmare that saw the Cougars score 10 times, pushing the contest out of reach six outs into the game.
"We started off all right and then they put together a ten-run, two-out inning," Riverbank head coach Ismael Mercado said. "When you're facing that kind of Escalon lineup, with their one through nine all hitting the ball with authority, they're just flat out very good hitters."
Miguel Hernandez made good on his TVL debut, putting together a 2-for-3 performance to pace his squad and chipping in the Bruins' only run.
The Cougars would add a five-spot in the bottom of the third, sealing the deal for Escalon's first league win as the teams opened up the league campaign. As challenging as going into Escalon and battling the Cougars is, it will not be the Bruins final task. The TVL will continue to pose a challenge for Riverbank with each program the Bruins baseball squad encounters.
The Bruins will make their TVL home debut when Riverbank suits up against the Modesto Christian Crusaders on Wednesday, March 18 at Riverbank High. The Crusaders dropped their league opener as well, falling to the Ripon Indians 4-3 at Ripon High.
The Bruins will then see themselves back on the road for a March 20 contest against Ripon Christian. The Knights have dropped three consecutive contests, making their TVL meeting with the Bruins an important game for both programs.
Each of the Bruins' next two contests is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
Riverbank pushed across a run in its half of the first to take a brief lead in the March 13 meeting. They came a single out away from getting out of the inning in the bottom of the first when Escalon began a two-out nightmare that saw the Cougars score 10 times, pushing the contest out of reach six outs into the game.
"We started off all right and then they put together a ten-run, two-out inning," Riverbank head coach Ismael Mercado said. "When you're facing that kind of Escalon lineup, with their one through nine all hitting the ball with authority, they're just flat out very good hitters."
Miguel Hernandez made good on his TVL debut, putting together a 2-for-3 performance to pace his squad and chipping in the Bruins' only run.
The Cougars would add a five-spot in the bottom of the third, sealing the deal for Escalon's first league win as the teams opened up the league campaign. As challenging as going into Escalon and battling the Cougars is, it will not be the Bruins final task. The TVL will continue to pose a challenge for Riverbank with each program the Bruins baseball squad encounters.
The Bruins will make their TVL home debut when Riverbank suits up against the Modesto Christian Crusaders on Wednesday, March 18 at Riverbank High. The Crusaders dropped their league opener as well, falling to the Ripon Indians 4-3 at Ripon High.
The Bruins will then see themselves back on the road for a March 20 contest against Ripon Christian. The Knights have dropped three consecutive contests, making their TVL meeting with the Bruins an important game for both programs.
Each of the Bruins' next two contests is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
