Four games in the Art McRae Tournament kept Riverbank’s varsity Bruin baseball boys busy over the Spring Break, with the majority of games played at Central Valley High in Ceres.

The Bruins started off the string of four games in four days with a 5-1 loss to Central Valley on Monday, April 21.

The Central Valley squad struck for four runs in the first inning to take a lead they never relinquished. Riverbank got one run in the second and had just five hits on the day. Central Valley added an insurance run in the sixth and had six hits altogether.

Tuesday, the Bruins took a tough 5-3 loss to Rio Vista in a competitive game that saw the Riverbank team take the lead with two runs in the first inning. Rio Vista tied it with two runs in the third, took the lead with two runs in the fourth, and each team scored one run in the seventh inning. Rio Vista had five runs on six hits, Riverbank had three runs on three hits.

Grinding it out as the week continued, the varsity Bruins battled Excel Academy on Wednesday, April 23, ultimately taking a 4-3 loss. Excel Academy had four runs on nine hits for the afternoon; Riverbank countered with three runs on eight hits. Runs for Excel came in the first with one run, two in the fourth and one in the sixth. Riverbank scored two runs in the second, one in the fourth.

Looking to salvage at least one game in the four-game tourney, the Bruins fell short of that goal, taking a 5-2 loss to Salesian in the finale on Thursday, April 24.

Trans-Valley League action resumes this week, with Riverbank hosting Hughson today, April 30, at 4 p.m.

League games remaining for the Bruins also include a game at Hughson on Friday, May 2, then the final week contests with Modesto Christian, on the road Tuesday, May 6 and the season finale on Wednesday, May 7 at Riverbank.