Valencia ran into a buzzsaw on the road, falling 9-1 to Sierra Canyon, a national-caliber program that broke the game open early. The Trailblazers scratched a run in the first and then sent ten men to the plate in a five-run second to put it away.

Valencia actually answered the first-inning run to tie it: in the top of the second Brady Ruffner singled, hustled to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch, and scored on Santino Cascione's sacrifice fly. But that was the extent of the offense against a deep Sierra Canyon staff that struck out seven and showed mid-to-upper-80s velocity. The Vikings stranded the bases loaded in the very first inning and managed just two hits the rest of the way.

The second inning was the backbreaker. With two outs, Sierra Canyon drew two walks and a single to load the bases, a run scored on an error, and then Mikhal Johnson cleared the bases with a grand slam. Five of the Trailblazers' nine runs were unearned, the product of two Valencia errors that extended innings.

Steven Genovese took the loss but was charged with just one earned run of his six. Andrew Gomez gave Valencia three innings, and Brett Cormany closed with a perfect frame. Milo Benattar did a little of everything for Sierra Canyon, a home run, a double, two RBI, and two scoreless innings on the mound. A humbling afternoon, but a measuring-stick game against one of the area's top programs.