Baseball Game Preview: Murrieta Mesa Rams vs. Vista Panthers

The Murrieta Mesa Rams will head out to square off against the Vista Panthers at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Murrieta Mesa's pitching crew has only allowed 1.9 runs per game this season, so Vista's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Murrieta Mesa was handed a six-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene last Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 victory over Heritage. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rams have posted since April 9, 2024.

Murrieta Mesa's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Zach Janczyk, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Vista has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.88 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Monday. They lost 11-5 to Linfield Christian. The Panthers' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

Vista also got a good showing from Sonny Prue, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.

At the plate, Giancarlo Corcuera was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That double was his first of the season. Nicolas Bala was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

Vista's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Murrieta Mesa, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.

Murrieta Mesa couldn't quite finish off Vista in their previous matchup back in March of 2017 and fell 3-1. Can Murrieta Mesa avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.