Mission Vista will take on the Escondido Charter Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mission Vista will be strutting in after a win while Escondido Charter will be coming in after a loss.
Mission Vista took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past St. John's 6-5. The win was a breath of fresh air for Mission Vista as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Rian Hickman
| 03/10/25 vs St. John's | 0 |
| 03/08/25 vs Academy of Our Lady of Peace | 1 |
| 03/05/25 vs San Marcos | 1 |
Rian Hickman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Liliana Gonzales, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in May of 2024. Alish Bender also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Escondido Charter has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.14 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Monday. They lost 10-4 to Christian. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Patriots recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Zaliyah Jones was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Natalya Powers, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
Mission Vista's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Escondido Charter, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mission Vista has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Escondido Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mission Vista came out on top in a nail-biter against Escondido Charter in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mission Vista since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
