Baseball Game Preview: Santa Rosa Panthers vs. Rancho Mirage Rattlers

The Santa Rosa Panthers will take on the Rancho Mirage Rattlers at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Santa Rosa is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Wednesday, they were much more limited against Livermore on Thursday. They lost 7-1 to the Cowboys. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Panthers have suffered since April 27, 2024.

Santa Rosa saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mateo Fitzgerald, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Rancho Mirage was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They came up short against San Marin, falling 10-0. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Rattlers, who until this contest were averaging 3.61 runs allowed.

Marcos Ceja Jr. was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one double. He has become a key player for Rancho Mirage: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 6-9 otherwise.

Rancho Mirage's loss dropped their record down to 8-10. As for Santa Rosa, they have been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season.