The Gardena Panthers will challenge the Torres Toros at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Gardena's tournament run continued when they took on Animo Leadership on Saturday. The Panthers were the clear victors by an 11-2 margin over the Aztec Eagles. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by exactly nine runs.
Jesse Aguayo
| 03/14/26 vs Animo Leadership | 7 |
| 03/29/25 vs Hollywood | 4 |
| 02/20/26 vs Jordan | 3 |
| 05/03/25 vs Triumph Charter | 3 |
| 02/19/25 vs Santee | 3 |
Jesse Aguayo was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Gardena: the team is 3-1-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Alvarez, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. He is becoming a predictor of Gardena's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 1-4-1 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Max Garcia, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Gardena kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Torres made sure to put some runs up on the board against Collins Family on Thursday. The Toros were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Jaguars. Considering the Toros have won three matchups by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Juan Barajas made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Barajas was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
In other batting news, Angel Tostado was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last eight games he's played dating back to last season. Jouse Solis Rojas was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
The victory made it two in a row for Gardena and bumps their season record up to 3-5-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Torres, their victory bumped their record up to 4-1-1.
Both Gardena and Torres just can't seem to miss. The Panthers have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Torres struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
