The San Clemente Tritons are taking a road trip to square off against the Marina Vikings at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (San Clemente 2.7, Marina 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
San Clemente is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They never let Oxnard get on the board and left with a 5-0 victory. Winning may never get old, but the Tritons sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
The result came thanks to Luca Cifuentes's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 24 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Peyton Stokes was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Marina's rock-solid pitcher showed up for the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They didn't even let Arcadia on the board, marking the Vikings' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by seven runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Ava Kim, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Liz Byer was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Marina was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
San Clemente's win was their tenth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-7-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Marina, their record is now 15-13.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. San Clemente hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like Marina struggles in that department as they've averaged .317. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
San Clemente suffered a grim 6-0 defeat to Marina in their previous matchup back in February of 2019. Can the Tritons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
