Baseball Game Preview: Vista Panthers vs. Escondido Cougars

The Vista Panthers will head out to face off against the Escondido Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Vista's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Escondido's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Vista heads in on the heels of a playoff match on Wednesday. They came up short against Calexico, falling 12-2. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Panthers, who until this contest were averaging 4.04 runs allowed.

Vista saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brandyn Ketcher, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Escondido's good fortune finally ran out on Wednesday. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Mission Bay.

Makaih Gonzalez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.

Vista dropped their record down to 18-10 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Escondido, their defeat dropped their record down to 20-8.

Vista beat Escondido 8-3 when the teams last played back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.