The Torres Toros are taking a road trip to face off against the Gardena Panthers at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
On Thursday, Torres got the win against Collins Family by a conclusive 13-1. Considering the Toros have won three games by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Juan Barajas made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Barajas was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
| 03/12/26 vs Collins Family | 4 |
| 02/27/26 vs Hawkins | 3 |
| 03/28/25 vs Elizabeth | 3 |
| 05/01/25 vs Marquez | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Maywood Academy | 2 |
In other batting news, Angel Tostado was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Jouse Solis Rojas was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Torres always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .520. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Collins Family only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, Gardena made easy work of Animo Leadership on Saturday and carried off an 11-2 victory. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by exactly nine runs.
Like Torres, Gardena also got a great game from a two-way player: Jesse Aguayo. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Aguayo was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Gardena: the team is 3-1-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Alvarez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Gardena is 2-1 when Alvarez posts two or more runs, but 1-4-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Garcia, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
The win made it two in a row for Gardena and bumps their season record up to 3-5-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 6 runs in those games. As for Torres, their record now sits at 4-1-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Torres has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Gardena struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Torres came out on top in a nail-biter against Gardena in their previous matchup back in May of 2019, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Toros since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
