Baseball Game Preview: Irvine Vaqueros vs. Cathedral Phantoms

The Irvine Vaqueros will take on the Cathedral Phantoms at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. The last four games Irvine has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Irvine is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past Citrus Valley 3-2.

Jason Alderson

Hits Against

03/06/26 @ Aliso Niguel	6
02/28/26 vs San Juan Hills	6
03/28/26 vs San Dimas	5
03/17/26 @ University	5
02/21/26 vs Capistrano Valley	5
+ 5 more games

Jason Alderson looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has become a key player for Irvine: the team is 5-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 11-12 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Owen Song was excellent, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last seven games he's played. Nico Macalino was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Irvine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Citrus Valley only posted a batting average of .167.

Meanwhile, Cathedral came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Jackrabbits.

Irvine's victory bumped their record up to 16-13. As for Cathedral, their win bumped their record up to 17-9.