Baseball Game Preview: Whittier Cardinals vs. Santa Fe Chiefs

The Whittier Cardinals will challenge the Santa Fe Chiefs at 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Neither Whittier nor Santa Fe posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Whittier fell victim to La Serna and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lancers. The match marked the first time this season in which the Cardinals were not able to get on the board.

Adrian Magallanes was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024.

At the plate, Whittier saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Diego Pantoja, who went 2-for-3 with one double. That double was Pantoja's first of the season.

Meanwhile, Santa Fe was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They came up short against Fountain Valley, falling 15-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Chiefs have suffered since February 25th.

Santa Fe's loss dropped their record down to 3-9. As for Whittier, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.

Whittier came out on top in a nail-biter against Santa Fe when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Will Whittier repeat their success, or does Santa Fe have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.