Baseball Game Preview: Saddleback Roadrunners vs. Orange Panthers

Saddleback is 1-9 against Orange since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Roadrunners will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 3:15 p.m.

Friday just wasn't the day for Saddleback's offense. They came up short against Rancho Alamitos on Friday, falling 9-0.

Meanwhile, Orange got the win against Kennedy on Saturday by a conclusive 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 contests by six runs or more so far this season.

Daniel Vergara looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Alex Mendoza was incredible, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Andres Marin-Lopez, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

Orange is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Saddleback, their loss dropped their record down to 3-17.

Saddleback might still be hurting after the 13-1 defeat they got from Orange when the teams last played back in March. Can the Roadrunners avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.