REV edges Yucaipa, holds onto first place

YUCAIPA – The Redlands East Valley High baseball team lives dangerously.

The Wildcats, winning their sixth one-run game (out of 11 played) defeated Yucaipa 4-3 on Tuesday in a Citrus Belt League game.

“We’ve played a lot of one-run games, so we’re battle-tested,” REV coach Chris Paterson said.

The victory keeps REV (15-8 overall, 8-2 league) one game ahead of Citrus Valley (12-10, 7-3) in the CBL race and nudges the Wildcats two games ahead of Yucaipa (14-9, 6-4).

The triumph was REV's eighth in succession. 

REV and visiting Yucaipa meet again at 4 p.m. Thursday.

The victory did not come easily for REV. It led the Thunderbirds 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh until Yucaipa began the inning with three consecutive hits. The third hit, a double by Damian Cordero, pulled Yucaipa to within one run with runners on second and third base and nobody out.

Paterson then made the wise move and intentionally walked hard-hitting Evan Heaton to load the bases. REV reliever Aziel Hernandez, channeling Houdini, then escaped the jam with a strikeout, a line-drive out, and a groundout to end the game.

The groundout was no routine play. Yucaipa’s Jason Franco hit a hard grounder to shortstop Griffin Cunningham’s right. Cunningham fielded the ball cleanly and made the long throw across the diamond for the out.

The happy Wildcats charged out of the dugout to congratulate Cunningham and Hernandez and celebrate the victory.

“I was a little scared, but I trust my glove and I just went right at it and saw it go all the way in,” Cunningham said. “I looked at second base (for the force) but my teammate wasn’t there, so I threw to first and I got him. It felt great. You just have to cherish these moments and then move on to the next.”   

REV interrupted a tense pitching duel between its own Caleb Jamroz and Yucaipa’s Xavier Romero by scoring four fifth-inning runs. Connor Towns and Aiden McCartin both stroked two-run singles to do the damage.

Yucaipa cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the fifth off Jamroz. An infield error brought in one run and a groundout by Heaton knocked in the other.

Jamroz was stellar on the mound for REV, pitching six innings, allowing five hits, and two runs (one earned), while striking out three and walking one. Hernandez pitched one inning and allowed no hits and no runs under intense pressure.

“I felt calm,” Hernandez said. “I knew what I had to do and felt like I had a defense out there to back me up. I trust my curveball in situations like that -- bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. That’s the pitch I trust the most.”

Paterson could have left Jamroz in for the seventh inning but elected to go with Joseph Prosper to relieve Jamroz, then opted for Hernandez when Prosper got into trouble.  

“Our starting pitcher (Jamroz) did an amazing job, but we didn’t want Yucaipa to see him again for a third time,” Paterson said. “They have some great hitters over there, so we thought we’d change it up.”  

Towns and McCartin each had a hit and two runs batted in for REV. Connor White and Zach Scribner both had two hits for Yucaipa.

Tuesday’s game was scintillating and sets up what should be a dandy on Thursday with REV ace Cash Dabbs likely to face Yucaipa’s best, Logan Pashman.   

“REV and Yucaipa is always a good battle, and we expect another good one on Thursday,” Paterson said.