Baseball Recap: Zion Park's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Whittier Christian over Maranatha

Whittier Christian extended their losing streak to three on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 12-9 in the process. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 3-1 to the Maranatha Minutemen, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Minutemen this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 3-1 on Wednesday.

Whittier Christian saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zion Park, who went 1-for-3 with one run.

As for Maranatha, they pushed their record up to 11-6-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games.

On Maranatha's side, Matthew Vazquez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for Vazquez.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Dylan Garcia, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February of 2024. Will Suslow was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.

Looking ahead, Whittier Christian will square off against Village Christian at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games the Crusaders have played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. As for Maranatha, they will take on Lompoc in a tournament on Wednesday.