Softball Game Preview: Pacifica Mariners vs. Esperanza Aztecs

The Pacifica Mariners are taking a road trip to challenge the Esperanza Aztecs at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Pacifica's pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so Esperanza's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Pacifica's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 3-0 win over Canyon. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mariners.

Not much got past Ellena Ediss, who gave up just two hits to keep Canyon off the board. Ediss has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Pacifica's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Arianna Salas, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Another was Micheala Meza, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.

Meanwhile, Esperanza was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their tenth straight defeat. They came up short against Fullerton, falling 11-2.

Pacifica's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-8. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Esperanza, their loss dropped their record down to 6-18.

Pacifica skirted past Esperanza 3-2 when the teams last played two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mariners since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.