Baseball Game Preview: Marina Mariners vs. Watsonville Wildcatz

For the second straight game, Marina will face off against Watsonville. The Mariners will square off against the Wildcatz at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Marina has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with eight straight losses, while Watsonville will come in with six straight wins.

Marina fell victim to Watsonville and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 15-0 to the Wildcatz, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

For Watsonville's part, Rudy Valdez made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Valdez has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Watsonville's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-3 (and 0-6 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Patrick Miller - Brown was a standout: he went 1-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. Brody Barto was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Watsonville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They are 5-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

Watsonville's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-9. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Marina, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-8.