Baseball Game Preview: Mission Bay Buccaneers vs. Chula Vista Spartans

The Mission Bay Buccaneers will hit the road for the first time this season to challenge the Chula Vista Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Mission Bay is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last three games.

Mission Bay had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the nine-run drubbing they dealt Sweetwater on Tuesday. Everything went Mission Bay's way against Sweetwater as Mission Bay made off with a 10-1 win.

Blake Barnes

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/04/25 vs Sweetwater	6
02/27/25 vs High Tech CV	5
03/18/24 @ Mater Dei Catholic	3
02/24/24 vs Mount Miguel	3
04/24/24 vs Mira Mesa	1

Blake Barnes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up six Ks. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Josh Phelps, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Vince Kasunich was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.

Mission Bay hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, Chula Vista and Canyon Hills finished up their contest with a 2-2 tie on Tuesday.

Chula Vista's draw makes their record 1-2-1 this season. As for Mission Bay, they pushed their record up to 3-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season.

Chula Vista's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mission Bay has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .450. It's a different story for Chula Vista, though, as they've only averaged .270. Will they be able to contain Mission Bay's hitters?

Mission Bay beat Chula Vista 6-3 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mission Bay since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.